Hostage Takers
by Claire O'Mack
Summary: Have you ever felt sorry for the bad guys? in a world where you have to do anything to survive, is there any lengths people wont go to, to save themselves and thier friends. will a single act change the corse of history forever?
1. The reckoning

Something new from me, not sure I should be starting this new story, but it just wouldn't leave me alone. This story is AU but I urge you to give it a go, I promise its going to be one hell of a ride.

HOSTAGE TAKERS

Chapter one: The reckoning

After the minor meltdown of the economy in 2007 the world held its breath as the stock markets and banks tried to get back on their feet. Millions of dollars were pumped back into the economy, keeping businesses afloat and high street cash registers full. The backlash of these events was foreseen by many. A deficit too deep to control opened up from right underneath the government that attempted to control it. Billions of dollars gone in the blink of an eye, cost of living shot through the roof as taxes were raised to pull back the deficit. Millions lost their homes and their jobs, unemployment was no longer a thing for the uneducated it was on every street, in every town.

Back in the wall street crash of 1929 it was said that people were seen jumping from the building, preferring to commit suicide than to face the loss that they had brought about on the country. On the 5th of November 2014 the death count for suicides in the US had risen by 65%. From stock brokers to house wives, from hard working fathers, to farmers in the fields. Their crops too expensive to plant, and no one was buying. The country was in melt down and only the super-rich seemed to survive in tacked.

Left homeless and destitute many people took to the streets, forming communities living in abandoned apartment buildings. They had no electricity, no flowing water and no heat. Winter was just around the corner and people were crying out for assistance. Their cries fell upon deaf ears as the governing power continued to pick up their own crumbling democracy as martial law was declared. Armed police patrolled the streets, corralling people in to shanty towns, boarded off and apart from people who could still call themselves affluent. The divide in the people was greater than it had ever been before. Those with jobs clung to them, working exceptionally long hours far what amounted to little pay, but the alternative was far worse. Entire families living in one cold room. Eating what they could find and drinking almost unsanitary water.

It was hardly surprising that the rest of the world was in a similar state, the backlash from this spread far and wide, some countries faring better than others, but ultimately the human race was going to have to go on without its creature comforts. The sound of iPods in teenagers ears was a long forgotten memory. The roar of a v 8 engine something now only seen in movies, and the tapping of keyboards only heard in the few offices that remained in the city's.

Chicago was no exception, the pavement no longer echoed with the sound of people walking to work. The L train made no noise as it sat idle at the last station it had stopped at before it was turned off permanently. It was here that four former colleagues banded around a oil drum that contained burning newspapers and bits of furniture. The night was cold, colder than it had been before and as Randy breathed out he could clearly see his breath against the night sky. Rubbing his hands together in his torn gloves he pushed them once more against the heat of the fire. So close he could feel his skin burning underneath. He didn't pull back though, the feeling made him feel alive. Something he had not felt for a long time. The day he lost his job, no longer needed by a company he had worked for, for almost seven years he had died inside. No one watched TV any more, let alone paid for pay per view the wrestling business crumbled and feel into the abyss that all the rest of the world was slowly sliding into. His entire savings account had virtually be lost, spent and divided up between the banks attempting to bale themselves out of the situation they had created. Pulling in all loans and mortgages on the spot. Randy's house in Milwaukie had barely had chance to let the paint dry before the bank took all he had to pay off the mortgage on it. Left with nothing but a shell of a house that he could not afford to heat Randy had left, going to his best friend John Cena who had no luck either.

John had been let go at the same time as Randy, and although his finances were in good shape he had been hit hard on taxes. He had lasted longer than most, managing to stretch his finances for over six months. In that time he had taken in several house guests, all former wrestlers and diva's looking for a place to stay. Pooling their resources to keep the house running, heated and food in the cupboards. One by one though they had left, out of money, scared for their families and depression setting in, it had come down to the four of them. Finally as August had turned into the autumnal days of September the last of the supplies ran out and the bailiffs had come round to take whatever they could as council tax. John had no choice but to leave, encouraging his friends to come with him. Knowing they were better off together, for alone they were all vulnerable.

Mickie James had stayed at the house for she had nowhere else to go. Her father had killed himself, unable to make a living he had got in the bath one night and slit his wrists. Her mother was not far behind, simply wasting away in some corner of Richmond, forgotten and abandoned. Mickie's guilt over her mother's death had never left her, it had made her angry, both at herself and the government for what had happened. Now she was here with the only people she trusted in the world, with nothing to her name but the clothes on her back ,and the meagre possessions she had in a rucksack she carried with her everywhere. She liked to call it her in case of emergency bag, Mickie often wondered what constituted an emergency these days. If being freezing cold and almost starving was not longer considered an emergency what was? They had found out not long after they had taken to the streets. Everything out here was worth stealing, for everything had value. Wood for a fire, clothes for warmth, food even tooth brushes.

Beth had been searching for somewhere good to sleep for the night with Randy when a group of men had attacked them. Knocking Randy out cold from behind Beth had struggled with them for the food she had brought earlier on that day. It had cost her three dollars, almost all she had in the world, but they had not eaten for four days. Fighting with the gang had proved useless, once a former power lifter, Beth had grown thin and week, lack of food and activity had taken its toll on all of them and she was no match for the them. She had lost their food and almost her life, as one of them stabbed her with a knife, leaving the weapon embedded in her femur unable to remove it they had fled. Randy had woken up later and carried Beth to were Mickie and John had been working that day.

It was hard to find work, and it paid almost nothing, but when something came along you did it no matter what. On that day Mickie and John had found work gutting fish for sale, it was smelly, tiring and worth two dollars each for a ten hour day. As Mickie saw Beth she knew it was time to get out her in case of emergency bag. Knowing that she couldn't leave work she handed Randy the rucksack and told him to use whatever he could to get Beth seen by a doctor. It had cost her her mother's gold chain, and a pair of pearl earrings, but Beth was fine, and she still had the knife. It flashed now in the fire light, hanging from a makeshift pouch at her hip. The weapon never left the blondes side, almost like the scar on her leg now hidden from view by her tattered jeans.

Beth turned now warming her back on the fire, staring up at the train track above her and looking at the gathering clouds above.

"We are going to have to move from here, it's going to rain." She said her voice monotone, the compassion it had once held gone a long time ago. Her eyes never left the sky as the first drops of rain landed on her dirty face. Leaving streaks of clean pale skin visible beneath the dust of the city that had acuminated there over the past few days.

"We should try one of the shelters, they may have room." John said as Beth turned back around and looked at the underpass knowing it would not offer much protection.

"Yeah maybe, but I hear they are charging to get in now." Mickie said also looking in the direction of the bridge and shaking her head.

"If we go in there, I fear we might not come out again." Randy joined in as the rain now fell in earnest, covering them quickly in freezing cold water. Right now the underpass was their only option, well it was that or dying of hyperthermia before the sun came up. Racing for the dark cavern as the rain made the fire hiss and spit behind them, Beth turned back to see it extinguished by the rain, only smoke was left now and the light the fire had created no longer casting its glow into the tunnel.

Underpasses and bridges were dangerous, the world now in general was dangerous, criminals lurked on every street. Some just wanted food clothing and would do no more than threaten you for it. Probably once respectable people turned to crime through no choice. Others however were far more dangerous, willing to kill over a pair of gloves they often spent the nights under the cover of bridges and underpasses. Everyone knew this and would avoid the area's at all costs, but right now for the four former wrestlers the cost would have been their lives. Standing just inside the entrance, knowing they could make a run for it if they had to they watched as a blanket of rain pounded the ground in front of them.

"Looks like sleep is something we will have to think about in the morning." John said as Mickie wrapped herself around him for warmth. Personal boundaries had gone out of the window a long time ago. Often huddling together in shelters, sharing the same tiny bed all four of them had known what it would take to survive. Sex however was out of the question. Not only could they not afford to get pregnant at any cost, but it would cross a line they had long ago drawn in the sand. It worked for them, moving around the city working when they could and getting by with what they had, and everything was shared.

"We will try the third district, I know a guy there he owes me a favour." Beth said not elaborating on why this guy owed her a favour and no one asked. They had all done many things they were not proud of since leaving John's home two months ago. At first they had tried to stick to the rules, paid their way, kept to the curfew that existed now. They had soon realised however that that was a quick way to an early grave. Running out of money quickly, Randy had taken to petty theft, stealing some chees from a local shop while Beth distracted the owner with her ample cleavage it was a minor infraction that could have cost them their lives if they had been caught. While martial law was in harsher measures had been in service. Small crimes were dealt with swiftly, if you could not pay for your legal fees you were dumped in a jail cell and left to rot. Little water and no food, it was a death sentence without the firing squad. Larger crimes like bank robbery, murder, rape were dealt with quickly too. Bullets cost money and so hanging had come back into fashion, no audience watched though, no executioner in a black shroud was on hand. The soldiers merely tied them to the nearest tree and shoved them off. Oh yes the world was a very dangerous place now and they all knew it, but it had not stopped them from playing their little distraction trick on more than one occasion. Either Mickie or Beth would go in, depending on which woman took the shop owners fancy on the first visit and one of the boys would go in and do the stealing. So far they had gotten away with it. Taking only what they needed in order to survive, they wondered if the people behind the counter had ever even realised they had taken anything.

"Ok third it is, we move as soon as this rain stops coming down." Randy said looking up at the sky but seeing no relief on the horizon. Looking behind him he could see nothing in the gloom of the tunnel. It didn't mean no one was their however, it was an almost certainty that someone was watching them, but as the four of them were together, unless a small army had been waiting in the tunnel it was unlikely anyone would be attacking them. John and Randy were still imposing figures, even though their muscle was now almost gone, replaced with thin frames over large bones, they both still stood well over six feet, and everyone was skinny around here. Mainly people left them alone when they were together, and as a rule the girls were not left alone together. Sex crimes were a rife as stealing and murder. It was even said in some parts women were traded for food almost like slavery days and none of them wanted that to happen, least of all Mickie and Beth.

"I think its slowing." Mickie said after what felt like hours as the sky seemed to be turning an inky blue from the deep black it had been before.

"Let's go." Randy said simply, stepping out into the now light rain he lead the way out on to the street beyond the railway tracks and towards the hospital. It was all but boarded up now, community hospitals no longer existed, doctors were for those who could pay only, and hospitals were only for the rich. Moving along the street carefully watching out for any patrols, the four of them ducked behind buildings and moved in the shadows. If the soldiers caught them out after curfew they would get a beating and have to pay a fine of a dollar each for being on the street after ten. It was now almost three in the morning, and patrols were light. Listening carefully for the sound of marching boots Randy stopped in a shop doorway and looked beyond the metal barrier. He could see the bread and cakes beyond the windows. Knowing that to afford even a single cake he would have to do two full days work and the effort would not have been worth the reward.

"Ok its clear." He said to Beth who was behind him as the blonde passed on the message and they all moved off. Making a dash for the street they wanted they slowed down as they approached the barriers cordoning off the street. The gate was of course locked at this time of night, keeping the occupants within safely tucked away for the night, but having lived here a while they knew all the secret ways in and out of the place. Mickie moved around to the left side of one of the buildings that bordered the surrounding street. She looked along and spotted the lose railing. Pulling it up out of the ground she squeezed beneath it and stood up once clear of the wire fence.

They all followed her John being last fixed the fence and left no trace it was ever lose. Safe now inside the walls the four of them moved along the street at Beth directions and stopped at a four story apartment building.

"Ok this is it, now I am not promising the Ritz, but I think Phil said they had hot water here, so many if we are nice to him we can all get a short shower." Beth smiled at her companions as she walked up the stone steps and knocked on the door. It swung open at her knock, and the darkness beyond made her take a step back. Something was not right here and Beth just hoped her old friend was ok.

There we have it a brand new story, my first real thriller and I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if I should continue, I can see this one being an epic, so if I should just set fire to it, tell me now before I write it all and get cramp. Thank you for reading XxX


	2. Discovery

Well only positive things so far so I decided to get on to this next chapter. Please enjoy

Chapter 2 Discovery

Stepping back into Randy Beth jumped at the contact as the door in front of them swung slightly in the breeze. It was entirely possible that at this early hour of the morning everyone was simply asleep, but something was off. None of them could put their finger on what it was exactly but there was a feeling in the air that was all giving them the shivers, and it had little to do with the chill in the air.

"We should go in and check this out." John said moving forward now, his hand clasped on the gun at his side. They all had a weapon of some kind, it was too dangerous not to have one. John acquired his gun from a derelict a few weeks ago, the man had come out of a building brandishing the weapon at them, demanding money and food. He was obviously not all there, babbling about demons and crickets on his head. John had easily disarmed the man, leaving him on the street unharmed John had none the less taken the gun. It was fully loaded and for a while they wondered how the man had acquired the gun in the first place. Knowing they would never really know the answer they had given up trying to look for him again, hoping that in taking his gun they had not consigned him to death. It was however something they suspected when they did not see the man again even after looking for him.

Holding the gun out now at arm's length John pushed the door back and revealed the lobby area beyond. A small table sat beside the door, three chairs sat around it, one had fallen on its side and the table was covered in playing cards. Stepping forward John heard the crunch of glass beneath his foot and he looked down to see just that.

"Look like someone left here in a hurry." Randy said picking up the broken end of a cup and discarding it back on to the floor as Mickie moved further into the room.

"What do you think happened in here, I thought these hostels usually had someone watching the door at all times." She said picking up what looked like a bullet casing off the floor and holding it up to what little light was now filtering in through the windows.

"They do." Beth said also picking up a bullet casing and tapping Randy on the shoulder.

"Something bad happed here, I think we should go." Beth said quietly keeping her voice low just in case whoever had shot up this place was still here.

"Agreed, but after we have checked the place out, there might be injured people in here." Randy said now moving towards the stairs and Beth nodded. They might be nothing more than street urchins now, even criminals, but they were still human being with some compassion. If nothing else they may discover what really happened in here.

"Should we split up?" John asked as they got to the top of the stirs and the landing divided both left and right.

"No too dangerous, we don't know what is in here, if anything. May take longer, but it's not worth the risk." Randy replied finally taking out his own knife, one he had stolen off a solider a few months back. It was by chance alone. The solider had gotten into a fight with a gang, losing his knife in the process Randy spied his opportunity and had picked it up off a drain cover. It had been dangling on the edge threatening to fall in when Randy snagged it up and made a run for it. No one had even know he was there.

Luck had played a huge part in their continued survival in this world of the dammed. Finding odd jobs here. Catching breaks by stealing food and clothing from people who were either too busy to notice or too dead. This kind of existence often made Mickie shudder but she knew they had to do it. Walking now through the darkened corridors stopping to listen outside of ever room the four of them could here nothing. It was then Mickie realised why this place felt so strange.

"It's been abandoned, there is no one here, that's why it feels like some kind of haunted house in here." Mickie said as Randy finally pushed open a door but found the room beyond empty.

"You know I think she is right, the question though is why?" John said spying another bullet casing on the ground and picking it up. This one was undamaged, unlike the ones in the lobby and he recognised the ammo almost immediately.

"This is from a P90, military issue, now either some lucky bum got a hold of it and started shooting up the place. Or the army have been in here for some reason and rounded everyone up. I mean all these bullets and no bodies, something is not right with that if it was a lone shooter." John said as Randy closed the door and listened.

"Shit, get down everyone we have to hide." Randy hissed as the unmistakeable sound of soldiers boots echoed on the street outside.

"They won't come in here surely, if they have already been inside." Mickie said as Beth clutched her friends hand.

"We don't know why they are here, maybe to see what happened, maybe to mop up stragglers, either way I don't want to find out from them." Beth said now racing along the corridor pulling Mickie behind her. Keeping low the four of them raced down the stairs, knowing that to go up would only see them trapped. Looking around Beth spotted a door which looked like the entrance to the basement.

"Ok go for it, it's not like we have much choice." Randy said as Beth indicated towards the door and they all made a dash for it. Pulling open the door it squeaked slightly on its hinges and they all preyed that the soldiers had not heard that on the street. Having no option now they went inside and closed the door behind them. It was total darkness inside the stairway they had found themselves on. No light even came under the crack in the door, it was not yet light enough outside for that to happen. Beth found her breathing to be the only thing she could here. That and her heart pounding inside her chest. She was sure the others were hearing the same thing.

"Hey this building is clear, I am bushed lets go home and get some shut eye." One of the soldiers said it sounded like he was standing in the lobby and all four people in the darkened stairway held their breath.

"Yeah but you know what the Captain said no witnesses." Another voice this time, further away, they could hear his boots on the wooden flooring now, walking closer until he must have been standing right outside the door.

"What about in here, you check this?"

Mickie almost gasped as a hand clamped over her mouth from behind, pulling her backwards they all started to descend the stairs slowly. Hoping the darkness would offer them some protection. They moved so quietly that as they hit the hard floor below the door above opened slightly and the voices drifted down once more.

"No but come on they didn't even know we were coming, most of them were asleep in bed, that or breeding, no one could have gotten down there in time."

"Dark as a cats arse hole in here anyway, can't see a dam thing, you got your flash light?"

"Yeah, just make it quick a."

Backing up so that they were as far away from the stairs as possible, until the wall behind them prevented any further retreat, the four people at the bottom knew this was going to go one of two ways. Either the soldiers missed them and they would be safe to leave once they had gone. Or they would spot them, leaving them with a choice. End up with the same fate as the others that had once occupied this building, or kill the soldiers. Neither option was appealing, either a fugitive or a prisoner. They were all preying that the soldiers would simply go away.

"Nothing, can't see anything down here, and man it smells, I am not going home to the wife again smelling of death, she is already asking questions and you know we can't say anything."

"Yeah I here you my misses is the same, wants to know how the people less fortunate than us are. Vermin that's what I tell her and that they are being dealt with as such."

"This new scheme seems to be working well, anyway I mean free work force for us and it keeps them from killing each other."

"Yeah one day people will thank us for this, when they can drive cars again, and watch Sunday afternoon football. It's not like we are taking them to concentration camps or anything." The voices muffled then as the solider that had been shining his light into the dark basement closed the door. Randy moved forward quickly, he had to know what was going on here and from what he had heard so far it didn't sound good. Moving up the stairway like a cat he pressed his ear to the door and could once again here the two soldiers as they moved off through the lobby.

"I like to think of them as work programs, so ok they don't get paid, but they get a roof over their heads and food in their bellies."

"I heard the death rate was still high though, but I guess in the end its natural selection at work." The soldiers laughter died off as they moved back onto the street and Randy had to restrain himself from punching the door. He heard movement below him as the others came up and joined him, Randy pushed open the door quietly and saw that the coast was clear.

"Did you all here that?" he said a look of disgust on his face as Beth placed a hand on his shoulder as Mickie took in a deep breath.

"This is bad, but what can we do?" She said as John moved forward and checked out the street. The sun had started to come up now casting a pink hue on the horizon and he could now see just how abandoned this place really was.

"How many people do you think were living here?" John asked as they all stood at the window and watched the sun rise.

"Maybe four hundred, these places are often full, and now that it is getting colder I wouldn't be surprised if there had been even more." Randy replied as he checked his watch. He was the only one of them to have one, and it was an important piece of equipment. It let them know when the curfew had started, and allowed them to monitor the times of regular patrols after the curfew was in place. It had often saved them from getting caught.

"But the gates were locked, if there is no one here why bother?" Mickie asked shaking her head as she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"They are designed to keep people in not out, I expect the soldiers locked them behind them to stop anyone they missed from escaping. Plus an open gate this time of night was bound to arise some suspicion." Beth said from behind Mickie and Randy turned to look at them both.

"Whatever this is they are doing it in secret, probably by the authority of the government, but it's not a popular decision, which is why the public have not been informed. You heard them, they said their wives were already asking questions. Whatever these work camps are I am sure they are not good for these people's health." Randy said as John sat on one of the chairs, brushing away broken glass before he sat down.

"Ok so now the question is what do we do about it?"

They all sat in silence for a moment, no one quite knowing how to answer that question. The sun slowly rose in the sky outside of the dirty window they were seated in front. Its torn curtain letting in the light which fell in thin shards across the dusty wooden flooring. This apartment building had once been a pretty nice part of town. Families and young couples predominately living here, and now they, like their former home were nothing more than dust in the wind.

"We can't let this secret round up continue, they can't get away with it, these are people, once good decent people who worked hard for a living, and through no fault of their own ended up just like us." Beth said indignant as she imagined this room filled with the chatter of people. The laughter of children, and the hope of the young that once resided here. A brief memory of her own childhood flashed before her. Playing dungeons and dragons with her brother, using the dining room table as a kind of fortress. That was almost another lifetime ago, the memory seemed false somehow, like she had seen it in some movie and it was not in fact a real memory.

"Just like us, criminals you mean destitute and worthless." John replied his voice held both sorrow and anger and right now there was no room for self-pity.

"Yeah, just like that buddy, but I think we have just forgotten who we really are. We're not weak and helpless, we may be down but we are certainly not out. I remember once we all use to stand in front of thousands of people, hearing them cheer, or boo us, making them believe that we were in fact invincible. That we were heroes." Randy said standing up now and feeling like one of those characters in a movie delivering the inspirational speech. He guessed that was exactly what he was doing, but for what purpose he didn't know yet.

"Let's be heroes again." He almost whispered as Mickie gave him a grin that reminded Randy of the old days when she was far quicker to smile. As they sat there looking up at Randy they all knew he was right, selfishness had been what had led them to this situation in the first place. Each person looking out for their own interests had finally brought the country to its knees. Then in the aftermath instead of banding together they had simply discarded who and what was no longer needed and walked away.

"We need to find out more about what is going on, if you are thinking what I think you're thinking, public opinion is going to matter or our shouts will fall on deaf ears." Bethy said also standing up and quickly checking to see if her knife was still in place. Safely tucked away in her makeshift belt she looked from a nodding Randy to two sets of confused eyes.

"Ok so we start by finding out what these camps really are and where they are, any suggestions?" Randy asked but the blank faces staring back at him. His mind was also drawing a blank and he sat back down. Noble ideas were fine in theory but bringing them to fruition was a completely different matter.

"We let ourselves be taken." Beth said suddenly and all eyes fell upon her, their faces all saying the same thing that she was totally insane, that may have been true, but right now Beth suspected a little insanity was what was needed for this to work.

Well there you go, I hope you are all still getting this slightly different story. More to reveal in the following chapters and I hope you can stick with me on this journey. Thank you for reading XxX


	3. For your consideration

Welcome dear readers I hope you are enjoying this piece of fiction.

Chapter 3 For your consideration

The dawn had truly broken over Chicago and the city was one again stirring from its uneasy slumber. Clouds hung low in the sky and the rain from the previous morning made the grass soggy. Those that had been privileged indeed lucky enough to keep their houses, their jobs woke up to this sombre day. Unaware of what was going on just below them on the streets of the impoverished city.

It was a sad fact that they just didn't want to know how their bred got made, or how the milk still lined the shelves in the markets still running. It wasn't that they couldn't find out, more that they wanted to be oblivious to the city's dwindling population. For the people that walked the streets and begged in doorways were nothing more than criminals now. Unclean and violent, people to be avoided and the less there were of them, the better as far as people on the other side of the gates were concerned.

Four of those so called criminals, vermin sat now, in an abandoned apartment stunned into silence by one's plan, none of them moving as the house around them creaked its age as the sun warmed its plaster board. It was risky they all knew that, but the bitter days of winter were fast approaching, and they only knew the death toll would be far higher once snow lined the roofs. And ice rested on every street corner.

Many months had gone past since the crisis had hit, and yet no one seemed to be doing anything about it. No aid came for the majority of people, no food or water were given in response to the cries for help, and now they were being taken somewhere to do god knows what.

"She has a point, we could spend months looking for one of these camps and still come up empty handed." John said finally, knowing someone had to voice an opinion or they would sit here until they died of starvation.

"Yeah the only question is, how do we get out once we are in there?" Mickie replied not entirely convinced by this slightly irrational plan. The point of them finding out what was going on was to bring it into public knowledge and effect change.

"Being locked up in a work camp for another six months isn't going to help our cause much." Mickie continued as Randy was sitting silently staring out of the window and looking at the buildings across the street. He had said nothing since Beth had suggested the plan of being captured. He felt eyes on him, he knew the others looked to him for leadership. He wasn't sure why, they all had strong personalities and were all capable of looking after themselves.

Randy thought back on their time together now and pinpointed when the shift in power had happened. At first John was the leader, it had been his house they all looked to him for guidance, permission. Then out on the streets the rules changed and John had found himself cracking under the pressure of keeping everyone together.

It was one balmy August evening, the four of them had just finished a day's work and they had eight dollars between them. Saving two dollars as always, placing the money in Mickie's in case of emergency pack. It was something they always did when they had a good day. It meant that when work became scares they could still by something to eat. Finding a bench looking out over the river they had sat down. Discussing what they were going to spend the money on. Randy remembered it got pretty heated, the girls wanting to get a hot shower and a bed for the night, and the boys wanting to get extra food and maybe even some underground alcohol. They never did get the chance to decide.

Two men had approached them from behind, one had Beth by the throat before any of them could react and the other was brandishing a gun at them. Beth was clutching on to the man's forearm, her eyes open wide and her mouth was gasping for air. Randy's eyes darted from her to the gun and back again. Waiting for some reason for John to do something Randy stepped in when the man's request for money went unanswered.

"I said give me your money or I will snap her neck!" The guy demanded as Randy moved a pace forward. Not only was he now blacking the other guys line of fire at Mickie but he had also got the man who was holding on to Beth's attention.

"Look we haven't got much, we have to eat to you know." He said trying to reason with the men, but in all honesty Randy knew where this was going right from the start.

"Couldn't give a rat's backside about you mate, now money or the blonde gets it." He replied his voice was low and raspy and Randy thought he recognised him from somewhere. Not dwelling on the thought Randy handed over the six dollars he had in his hand. Carefully waiting to fully release it until Beth was let go. As the man's grip on Beth throat loosened she was off and away before he got a chance to reclaim her. Randy dropped the money so it went scattering across the floor, quarters and dimes rolling along the pavement as the two men scramble to pick it all up.

Randy let fly a kick at the man with the gun, catching him hard in the ribs the gun flying lose out of his hand and rolling towards Mickie. She didn't hesitate on picking it up, pointing it at the man holding his ribs on the floor, as the guy who had grabbed Beth froze. A single dime pinched in his fingers. The coin dropped out of his hand quickly as Mickie cocked the gun and drew his attention. The kick Randy landed on his jaw dropped him like a stone.

Picking up all they could find the four of them had ran to the nearest shelter and laid low for the evening. Food and booze forgotten they had huddled in a single room, just waiting for the men to come back and finish them off.

Mickie now rolled that gun barrel in her hand, it was a nervous thing she did, and Randy's eyes fixed on it.

"We have to do this, but we have to be smart about it, somehow we have to smuggle a weapon in there." Randy said finally and Mickie stopped playing with her gun. It rested now on her jean covered thigh, below a surface of dirt that coated them.

"A weapon, how are we going to get something like that in, I am sure they will be searching everyone they take." John said his natural inclination to look for the worst case scenario coming back.

"Probably, we will have to think of a way to hide it on us, I am not necessarily thinking of a gun, even a small knife will do." Randy said now standing up, knowing that no matter what they decided they could not sit here procrastinating about it all day.

"Let's go see if we can find anything out from people around, maybe we are not the only ones to have heard something about these work camps." Randy said as everyone stood with him. Silently following him down on to the street and out towards the gates. Checking his watch Randy saw that it was not yet eight, the time when they officially opened the gates. Randy wondered if they would in fact open the gates to this community at all this morning, knowing that there was no one inside to release.

"We better go out the same way we came in." Beth said as though she had read Randy's mind and they all changed direction. Checking to see if the coast was clear first they all quickly slipped back under the wire and out onto the main sidewalk. It was still too early for anyone to be out and about yet. Making good use of the quietness of the streets the four of them headed across town to see if they could get some information.

"We could try Adam, I think he is still a door man on the fifth district, that is if they haven't snatched him up yet." John said as they made a dash across the street and back into the shadows of the buildings. It was dangerous being around at this time, they were not yet ready to be lifted from the street and taken to the camp, until they were they would have to remain ghost, and in the eyes of many they already were.

Vince sat at the breakfast table I his apartment looking down over the city. He could see the golden gate bridge from here, he could also see the lack of traffic crossing it. It was something he still couldn't get used to. the small apartment, the long working hours, the cramp conditions that he had here. Sharing this space with his daughter and her family. His millions were gone, but he was not out of the game yet. Taken on as a director for a trading company he managed to scrape by. Paul had gone into the services, left with little choice and no way else of paying for his family, the man was now rarely home. Yet the thing that made Vince sit up and take notice of the situation before him was the lack of cars now driving to work. No one drove anymore the cost of fuel was sky high, and even the metro rail only ran three times a day.

Twice on the morning and once at night, Vince had often found himself missing the train home, left to walk, it was not far to his apartment, only just over a mile, but the walk was dangerous. The people who lived now on the streets who were meant to be locked up were often not. Lurking in ally way's and waiting in the shadows he had been robbed on more than one occasion. He had learnt to only carry his id on him now. No cash, no wallet. He had suffered a broken right arm in the last fight he had had with a gang of youths who had gotten away with nothing, and had taken out their frustration on him. It was this event which had caused Vince to finally get in touch with some of his connections and got an increased military presents on the streets of San Francisco.

It was not often he thought about the people he had left behind, but the day was dull, and the sky looked like rain and Stephanie was in the bathroom with the children. He picked at his scrambled eggs and wondered how his wrestlers were doing, and how many of them were left. He had not heard from a single one baring John Bradshaw Layfiled since he had closed down the company. John as far as he was aware had heard nothing either. Vince feared that they were all either dead, or wished they were, but he was having a hard enough time supporting his own family. The days of roaring crowds and excited fans were gone, all that was left now was the grey. Endless and unrelenting in its oppressiveness.

They rounded the corner on to Fifth Avenue just as Randy's watch stuck eight. The soldiers were everywhere now, opening up communities and patrolling the streets. They were there supposedly to keep the piece. To protect the people, but they were not here to protect people like Randy, Beth, John and Mickie. No they were now the ones who the soldiers were here to guard against.

When martial law had first been implemented the crime rate had gone down, the streets were safer. But protection soon became oppression and the people started to fight back. Shooting soldiers on the street, planting bobby tarps in apartment buildings. They started a war that they could not hope to win, now all the military carried guns and knives and shot first and asked questions later. No longer were they people who the four crouched people in a shadowy ally way wanted to be seen by.

"Ok wait until they have moved and we go straight in, we can't wait here much longer." Randy said pointing towards a troop of soldiers stood outside the gates to the fifth precinct. They seemed to be having morning coffee and were in no rush to let the people inside out.

"God my legs are getting cramp are they ever going to move?" John complained as his toes began to tingle with pins and needles as his legs began to fall asleep.

"Not sure something isn't right here though, it's almost twenty past eight, they should have opened up ages ago." Randy said checking his watch for the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes.

"You don't think they got the people in their too last night do you?" Mickie said her in her voice that they had been too late again. It was a possibility that was crossing everyone's mind right now as finally the soldiers started to move. They did not however unlock the gates, they made no move to let out anyone left inside and simply marched off down the street as others seemed to be stirring now.

"Ok we have to move, people are going to start going to work soon, we need to get in there and see what is going on." Beth said finally as the coast was at least clear and they all moved somewhat stiffly from their hiding position.

"You know any secret ways into this one?" John asked everyone as they ran across the street and stopped just outside the gates. It was not illegal for them to be on the street at this time of day, but getting questioned by curios soldiers was not something they wanted to endure right at this moment. Plus they were all carrying weapons which was illegal and likely get them confiscated if not, earning them a night in a cell.

"No not a clue, I have never been here." Mickie answered as Randy looked around the entrance for any weak points.

"Me either, I guess we will have to make one." Beth also replied as she moved towards a high wooden fence that probably once surrounded a garden. It was now topped with wickedly sharp barbed wire and was at least eight feet high. There was no foot holds as far as Beth could tell, but the wood was old, and the ground was wet from last night's rain.

Pushing against one of the panels Beth moved along the fence pushing at each rail individually. John and Mickie had gone around the corner to see if they could find another way in, but Beth knew thus would work she just had to find the right panel.

Finally she pushed against a darker shaded railing and it bowed inwards slightly.

"Why I didn't start here I don't know." She said mainly to herself but Randy overheard her comment and chuckled slightly. She turned at the sound and gave him a small smile before requesting his assistance.

"Come on give me a hand." She said pulling at the panel until it came loose from the soil. Getting to work on the panel immediately to its left Beth dug enough soil out of the way to loosen that one to as Randy pulled it out of the ground. As they finished Mickie and John returned.

"Well we found nothing, but it looks like we needn't have bothered." John said as Beth pushed herself through the gap. Randy followed her quickly and John and Mickie were not far behind. Taking the time to replace the rails and cover up their entrance they all then made their way towards the buildings.

It was quite here, but it felt different, not like the last place where it had felt like a ghost town, this place just seemed on edge, like the people inside were simply sitting and waiting for the end to come. Beth had a sneaking suspicion that that was exactly what they were doing, as they came towards the first building.

Hearing voices they all breathed a sigh of relief. None of them wanted to find this place also abandoned. It would have been too much to find all in one day, and would have hurt their plan considerably.

Well there we have it, another day another chapter. Just a quick question, are the flashbacks helping to describe what happened and is it fitting in with the story line. Please let me know what you thought thank you for reading XxX


	4. The Plague

I know it's been ages, someone will have to have a stern word with me. Anyway here we go with an update, hope it was worth the wait.

Chapter 4 The Plague

Moving up towards the building, they all moved slowly, with caution that seemed both necessary and foolish at the same time. They knew that there were people inside. They could hear them talking, some of them sounded agitated and John looked back at Mickie who shook her head. She has as much idea about what was going on here as the rest.

Getting to the door first John question weather to knock or go straight in. deciding that he was still too civilised to just walk into someone house John rapped on the door three times. The noise from inside stopped almost immediately. The four people outside looked at one another in confusion, but there was also a weariness there. They didn't know who was inside the apartment building. The possibility of it being the soldiers was slim, but they couldn't rule it out.

Before they had time to think about the consequences of that the door opened and crack and a face they all recognised appeared.

"Christian?" John said the name more of a question than a statement. The door opened more fully now, but the former wrestler just stood in the doorway and looked down at them all. Standing there in the morning sun like they were merely figments of his imagination.

"Yeah my god what are you guys doing here?" He said a small smile appearing on his face, as he realised that they were in fact real.

"We could ask the same of you, we were looking for Adam. We needed some information off of him." Randy said wondering why Christian seemed reluctant to let them into the building. As Randy mentioned Adams name however, Christian's face change. No longer was it full of the excitement of seeing some of his old friends. Now his eyes dropped to the floor and his feet shuffled below him.

"Adam is sick. This entire block is, that is why they did not unlock us this morning." He replied and now things were starting to make sense for the foursome.

"What is it, do you know?" Beth asked concern etching her voice, but she was now glad Christian had stopped them from walking into the building.

"We think it is small pox, it has taken down half the population already and some of the first to catch it are already dead." He said and John let out a small audible gasp. He couldn't believe things had deteriorated this quickly, how in a matter of weeks they had gone from a population of thousands, down to probably a few hundred.

"Small pox that hasn't been seen in the US for thirty years." Randy said already having his own suspicions on the subject. But for now he was going to keep his council on the possibility that this could have been deliberate.

"Unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and being unable to get any vaccine, it all adds up to one thing. These camps are a breeding ground for disease, not that the government car about us, or even if we live or die." Christian said his anger evident now as Beth moved forward and tried to place her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Christian however moved out of her reach and held up his hands.

"Please I am probably infected, don't come any closer, you really should leave as soon as possible, we cannot afford to let this get outside these walls. Thousands will die, perhaps even millions, considering how things are out there." He said as Beth backed away and inclined her head slowly. She didn't want to leave these people, her friends to the mercy of this disease, but she also understood what Christian was saying.

"Can we speak to Adam at least, he may know something about all the disappearing people, we need to find out what happened to them." Mickie said, not wanting to remain on the subject of death for too long as Christian turned towards her.

"Adam is very sick, I don't think he will last the night, but perhaps I can help you." Christian replied as Randy checked around to make sure they were still safe here. He suspected though, no one would be entering these walls for a long time to come.

"What do you know?" John asked, as Christian braced himself against the gust of wind that whipped down from over the top of the buildings to their left and made them all shiver slightly.

"Winters coming, and I have a feeling if I tell you what I know you may do something stupid." Christian said his voice low as he turned his eyes back up to his four friends.

"Look you have to tell us. People disappearing off the streets in the middle of the night. Plagues hitting the camps for no good reason, the government are planning something, and we have to find out what." Randy said, doing his best to keep his anger out of his voice, but coming up somewhat short.

"Ok fine, they are taking the people to a large army barracks in Salt lake city. Its located not far outside of lake Tahoe, exactly where, I am not sure. It's a prison camp with a difference, they produce clothes, building materials and other industry items there, all made by the prisoners. No money, no rest, if you can't work you die, and it is the best kept secret in America." Christian almost finished on a whisper, although there was no one else around to hear him. It was like just to speak it out loud would have him struck down by lightning. Even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Then how do you know so much?" Randy questioned, wondering if this was just a story being passed on by one person to the next. In every retelling the story getting more and more fantastical until all that would be said about this prison cap would be here be dragons.

"Wade, he was taken there when this all first started happening. They rounded up all the foreign citizens. We though they were being sent home but we were wrong. Wade managed to escape a week ago, don't ask me how I couldn't get that out of him before he became sick. He found me here, well not exactly here, but in the city purely by chance. He had heard there were a few of us living on Chicago and decided to try his luck. The first night he told us all about the place, how they had them locked up in the cells, and only let them out to work. Hardly any food, little water and nothing to sleep on. He said he saw men beaten when they did not work, and women taken away, and brought back, different." Christian paused there, leaving that disturbing though to ponder on for a moment. Beth knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to warn them about going there. Letting them know what might happen if they got caught.

"Where is wade now, we could use a general idea of the layout of this place?" Randy asked as Christian shook his head slowly from side to side.

"He died yesterday, I fear my brother will be next. After that I am sure my time will come." It was a horrible thought, mostly because they all knew it was probably true. Christian was not going to leave the camp and risk letting small pox get in to the general population. They also knew by doing so he was signing his own death warrant.

"We will stop this Christian, you have our word, maybe in time to save your life." Beth said wanting to hug him but knowing she couldn't. they had already been here too long. The chance of catching something would be increased the longer they stayed here and none of them could afford to get sick.

"How do you plan on doing that? There is only four of you against hundreds, even if you did break these people out of the prison camp they would hunt you all down and kill you." Christian said as he moved back behind the doorway shivering hard in the crisp sunshine and they could all see he was already starting to show signs of being ill.

"That we don't know yet, but I guess we will have time to think about it. It's a long way to Colorado when you have no means of transport." Randy said as he moved down the steps, knowing they had no more to learn from their friend, and a long journey ahead of them.

"Good bye, and good luck." Christian said as they followed Randy back down on to the street. Mickie turned back and looked at Christian's disappearing face. The sadness that showed in her expression, evident even from this distance.

"Thank you I think we are going to need it." She said as the door closed and the four of them were left alone once more.

Leaving the same why they had gotten in, as quickly and as quietly as possible, they went unnoticed by the soldiers that had not returned to the plagued camp. The thoughts going through their heads about how this deadly disease had made and unwelcome return ran though all their minds, as they made their way through the city. None of them knew where they were headed exactly, but getting away from that place was high on the agenda.

"Do you think the government did it?" Randy spoke up after they had gone a few blocks and Mickie stopped in her tracks.

"God I hope not, what's next napalm." As she spoke she didn't truly believe what she was saying, but once it was out there, it didn't seem so absurd. John had also stopped, not wanting to leave Mickie too far behind and Randy and Beth turned to look at them as Mickie spoke.

"You know what is really ironic though. Genocide was always considered highly immoral, something which only truly evil people did, how times have changed." John said as Beth and Randy moved back towards their friends.

"We cannot be certain if it was done on purpose, it is also just as likely that the virus managed to come back because of how we have to live now. Weakened immune systems, plenty of places to for it to breed, it is not beyond the realms of possibility. What makes me angry is that they have just locked these people up to die." Beth said shifting her weight from foot to foot as she grew inpatient to get going.

"Beth's right this changes nothing, we had a plan in mind and now we don't even have to get ourselves taken to carry it out. Standing here wondering if somewhere sat in an office some official is deciding whether we live or die should only make us more determined to succeed." Randy said knowing that standing here debating the moral implications of what the government was doing, was not going to get them anywhere.

"Ok so how are we supposed to get to Colorado? It's not like we can just hop on a train. And I don't know about you guys but walking seems kind of impractical." John said, not wanting to be the voice of pessimism, but it had to be addressed.

"I guess we see if we can get a lift. That or we sell Mickie and by our way onto a transport." Randy said causing them to smile slightly lifting to mood once more. It was a problem, and a big one, they could not do anything unless they could find this camp and show the world what was going on.

"Not sure she would fetch us a high enough price for that, but we could keep the option open." John replied deciding that they all needed a bit of humour right now. It had not been a good couple of days.

"Ouch!" was John's next word as Mickie's fist landed on his upper arm in a hard punch. Holding the wounded area John scowled down at her and pouted out his bottom lip.

"How come I get hit and he doesn't." John asked as Randy grinned smugly back.

"Because what I have planned for him is far worse." Mickie replied an evil smile on her face as Beth chuckled slightly before sobering up and deciding that they needed to get moving.

"So how much money do we have?" She asked as they all dug around in their pockets and back packs for all the cash they had. Dropping it into Beth's open palms the blonde counted up and frowned.

"Seven dollars and sixty cents. We won't even be able to get out of the city on that, we need cash and fast." They all looked at once another, working was not going to earn them enough to get on a bus going anywhere fast. It would take them weeks to save that kind of cash, and weeks they did not have. It was impossible to know if the plague now only effecting one small part of Chicago would spread. If it did they needed to be as far away as possible when it happened.

All looking at one another but coming up blank it was John who finally made a suggestion. He was sure it was something that they had all thought about, but it had been too risky before now. Things had changed though and now the stakes were far higher. It seemed if the government was behind the release of the small pox virus their intention was clear. To eradicated anybody who could not afford to be treated for it. They were no longer just fighting for some people freedom, but for their right to live.

Ok so next time:

What is the plan to get them to Salt lake city and will they all make it there in one piece. Dose the end always justify the means, even if that means people have to die?

Thank you for reading XxX


	5. Money in the bank

Here is another chapter for your consideration, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5 Money in the bank

"You what!" Mickie exclaimed when Randy told them about his plan. They had settled on a bench near the river. The day was still bright the November sun though had little strength and Mickie was huddling down in her jacket. Now she sat upright looking at Randy like he had just sprouted a second head.

"We rob the bank." He restated as though they hadn't heard him properly the first time. Randy looked at John who had so far said nothing. He was looking at his hands clenched in his lap. Randy's eyes slipped from John to Beth, who was sitting next to him. Her face was a picture of horror, her eyes blazed somewhat has his own gaze met hers.

"Well what do you think?" Randy asked the still silent blonde as her mouth opened slightly to speak.

"I'm sorry did the total look of horror on my face not give you some kind of clue. Robbing a bank you're insane, we wouldn't get ten feet before we were caught." Beth said the anger evident in her voice. Randy could also sense something else though. Beth was a risk taker always had been, he could tell if they could come up with a plan not only to rob the bank but also get away with it Beth would join in.

"The problem is we have little option." John said finally voicing his opinion, and however much he found the idea distasteful he also knew it was the fastest way to get what they wanted.

"Thank you now if you could all help coming up with a plan as to how we are going to pull this off, we might actually get away with it." Randy said knowing that he would not have suggested this lightly, it was not some kind of fantasy their situation was very real and time was ticking.

"You're all insane, we are recognisable people still, one look at us and we are toast, how do you plan on getting in and out without being seen. Unless you have Harry Potter's magic invisibility cape hidden in your bag there is no way." Mickie said standing up and moving towards the river some way. She had her back to them now and braced herself against the wind coming off the river.

"No I don't EBay was all out this week, but I am sure we can put together some kind of disguises." Randy said as Mickie turned back towards them and looked from face to face. Randy almost looked excited, a small smile on his face, eyes big and shiny. The other two however looked concerned, but it was John who spoke up.

"We are going to have to plan our escape route to perfection, those soldiers will be all over us in moments otherwise." He said now turning from Mickie to Randy who nodded in agreement.

"So first we plan our route them we by something so no one will recognise us. The easy part will be the robbery, it will be getting away that will be hard, I suggest we start right away before it gets dark." Randy said also standing up and joining Mickie on the embankment.

"It will all be ok, no one will get hurt." He said before the others joined them and they made their way to the bank on the corner of main and the Boulevard.

The four of them stood behind an out cropping building, it was almost dusk and all four of them were shaking. It had nothing however to do with the cold. Mickie pulled on her black gloves and pulled down the black cotton hat she had brought only yesterday. They had slit eye holes in them so they could see, but left the mouth hole closed. It would serve to make their voices sound different as well as hide them from view.

"You ready?" Beth asked her, her voice muffled slightly as she spoke through the material of her hat. Mickie simply nodded, pulling out her gun from the back of her trousers she checked to see if the safety was off and then looked over at John. He was just pulling down his hat when he pointed to Beth.

"Better hide that or they are going to have a massive clue when looking for us." He said as Beth felt around her face and found a stray lock of blonde hair. Tucking it under her hat and making sure everything else was in place she nudged Randy. He was checking his gun, and seemed to have fallen in to some kind of trance.

"Oh we ready, ok in out and only use your weapon if absolutely necessary." He said and without waiting for an answer they all moved. Rushing around the corner they didn't take any notice of the few people outside looking at them.

Bursting into the bank through the glass doors Randy took the lead and brandished his gun and the half a dozen people waiting in the queue.

"This is a robbery, get face down on the ground, say nothing and no one will get hurt." Mickie and Beth covered the customers who all for a moment looked shocked until Beth shouted once more for them to get down. She masked her voice by keeping her tone low and deep, it took the people on a second to comply with her request.

John and Randy had gone over to the counter and Randy held out a bag while John aimed his gun at the teller.

"All the money in the registers in here, notes only." John said to the woman nearest them. The other employees had backed away from their stations and seemed to be heading towards the back door.

"That's far enough stay there oh I will have to shoot you." John said as the woman took the bag from Randy and opened up the cash drawer. She kept one eye on the boys while the other was making sure she had taken out all the money, before moving on to the next drawer. Randy looked behind him but saw no movement from the customers. No sirens could be heard, and the job was nearly done. Having no interest in the vault, or any of the safe deposit boxes, only taking what they would need, had made it easier to be in and out quickly.

"Drop your weapons U.S Marshal!" Randy span round to see one of the men who had been on the floor, now pointing a gun at Beth's head. Mickie had frozen in the corner and Randy could tell she was about to do as the man said. John grabbed the bag which had been half filled and it caught the Marshalls attention for a moment. It was enough though, without thinking Randy pulled the trigger on his gun. The weapon kicked back in his hand slightly and the noise was so loud Randy wanted to cover his ears. Watching the Marshall hit the ground his gun bouncing out of his hand Beth unfroze and kicked it further out of the way. None of them checked to see if the man was ok, there was no time. They could now here the sound of sirens, they were still distant but there none the less.

A woman rose her head off the floor as John and Randy dashed passed her. John saw that she looked angry and frightened. He paused for a moment as he neared her and her eyes caught his own.

"That's our money you are stealing, we have so little and you just came in a took it. Who the hell do you think you are!" Tears were in her eyes and John wanted to tell her it will all be ok but there was no time.

"It's all for a good cause I promise you ma'am" he said trying to offer some comfort as Randy yelled.

"Go now!" Mickie opened the door and made a dash for the ally way opposite where they had first hid. John rushed through the doorway calling back to the distraught woman.

"Just consider me Robin Hood and this is my band of Merry fucking men!" John yelled as the doors closed behind him.

Running down the narrow street they all heard the cars come racing around the corner. Screeching of breaks and the wailing of sirens followed them into the now darkness of the damp ally way. Stopping at a dumpster which they had spotted yesterday Mickie shed her hat, pulled off her gloves and ripped off her black jumper.

As they got to her John, Beth and Randy did the same, throwing the clothes into the dumpster and out of sight.

"Here get these on." Mickie said pulling off her backpack and throwing them all new jumpers. Each a different colour. Randy snagged the grey one and pulled it on, the adrenalin now causing though his body. He knew they couldn't stay here for long the soldiers would search this and the surrounding area first.

"Come on move" he hissed as John pulled on his brown jumper and hoisted the loot bag over his shoulder. Moving along the ally way they turned left into a back street and continued all the way to the end. They had left the worst of the noise behind, but they were not safe yet. Rounding the next bend which took them back towards the main street on the opposite side of where the bank was located Randy stopped in a doorway and gathered everyone around.

"Ok we need to divide the money up so that if our bags get searched they won't find it in there." He said as John placed the bag on the ground and pulled out several rolls of cash. Not really counting it, more separating it into equal sized wedges he handed one each to his companions.

"You know we should split up. they are looking for four suspects if we travel in pairs it might make us less conspicuous." John said placing his now empty bag back on his shoulder as Mickie shook her head.

"No we would be too vulnerable, what if some gang came along and attacked us, we would lose it all." She said as they walked towards the opening of the side street and saw no movement up ahead. Beth paused at a shopping trolley and lifted the cardboard from its ruined frame. Stored below it were their coats. It was a risk leaving them here but worth it in the end. The day had turned to night and the night was cold. Passing them out they all zipped up quickly and Randy pointed towards the street.

"We go now, don't run, walk and head straight for the third district. If anyone asks we are headed for second. Nothing unusual about that ok." Randy said moving forward followed by Beth. Mickie and John brought up the rear after dumping the bag that had had the money in it in the shopping trolley. It was a shame to waste a good bag, but they could always by a new one now.

Randy steeped on to the sidewalk just as a patrol car topped with several soldiers went passed. Not thinking about it he pushed Beth against the wall and started kissing her. Hiding both their faces from the view of the soldiers. At first Beth tried to push him away, but as she saw the men looking at them from on top of the vehicle, she quickly stopped struggling and wrapped her arms around Randy's neck.

"Get a room!" one of them called before their truck disappeared around the corner and Randy stepped away from the slightly angry looking blonde.

"Couldn't have thought of anything else huh?" she said whipping her lips as John and Mickie came out of the shadows to join them. Both looking highly amused at the situation.

"Not really it was a kind of spur of the moment thing you know, I am just glad you were behind me and not John." Randy smirked as Beth swatted his head and they moved across the street this time uninterrupted.

Moving though the backstreets of Chicago the sun long ago disappeared they could see hundreds of soldiers littering the streets, stopping anyone who they thought looked suspicious. Coming upon a group of four young men, the four former wrestlers turned bank robbers watched as the soldiers virtually stripped searched them in the street.

"They must have got a general description from the people at the bank. Maybe we should consider splitting up." John said now worried that if they were stopped the money would be found, even though it was concealed upon their person now.

"Ok we don't have far to go now anyway. You and Mickie head east and keep to the river, you are less likely to run into people there. Beth and I will head across town and stick to the back streets, meet at the apartment building as soon as we can." Randy said looking at them all but none of them had any objections.

Quickly bidding their goodbyes Mickie and John turned back down the street and walked out on to a main street. The soldiers were on this street, they were scanning the alley ways and moving in what looked like a grid search towards them. John placed his hand on the small of Mickie's back and guided her down the street a little faster. They had almost rounded a corner when someone shouted at them.

"You two stop right there!"

Oh no have two of them been captured, if so what are Beth and Randy going to do about it? What can they do about it? As ever reviews inspire me so let me have your thoughts and I will endeavour to update. Thank you for reading XxX


	6. Exit strategy

Back once again, I am working on three stories at the moment so updates maybe less frequent than you are used to, but I am doing my best.

"_The only people who have seen the end of war, are those that died in battle"- Unknown_

Chapter 6 Exit strategy

As Randy and Beth approached the street they could see that it was crawling with soldiers. Randy held out his arm to stop Beth from walking into view and the blonde looked at him first then turned her attention to the men in uniform patrolling the street before them. They had no other way back to the abandoned apartment building in the third district. No other way except back the way they had come that was, and that idea was not appealing to either of them.

With almost five hundred dollars between them, it was an amount of money people of their class should be carrying. They were wearing new clothes but they hardly looked like well-off citizens. They also had no ID cards, something that had been implemented a year ago.

Robbery had been something of a common affair in the beginning. People would be assaulted in the street for their money. Keys to houses anything they had on them. Now every citizen with a house and a job had to carry photographic ID. As well as have their finger prints on file. It had stopped all of the random muggings, some of which had led to murder.

It also now presented Beth and Randy with a problem, they could not walk out into the street get stopped and explain the amount of cash they had on them. With no ID, and no apparent residence, it would be obvious to the soldiers that they should not be carrying any money at all. Looking around Randy backed himself and Beth up into a shadowy doorway. For now they would be safe here, but that wasn't about to last long. The soldiers were checking everywhere, it was clear that this robbery was the highest thing on the military's agenda right now, and that they wouldn't stop until the people responsible were found.

"Options?" Randy asked Beth as the blonde looked out of their hiding place to see how far along the street the soldiers were. Pulling her head back in she looked at Randy with a worried expression on her face. It was clear from that look that they did not have an infinite amount of time to come up with a plan.

"I think we have two options, seeing as going back would only put off the inevitable. I am sure there are soldiers on every street, we will have to face them sometime." Beth said and Randy nodded his head in agreement. It was better to go forward than backwards, when you would be faced with the same problem either way.

"Ok so what are these options?" Randy asked the impatient in his voice evident, but Beth chose to ignore him. After a year of being together she had learnt not to stress over Randy's little imperfections. He of course was not the only one.

John was often too pessimistic, seeing what could get them into trouble all the time. Worrying about the consequences of their actions. He also was often the voice of reason, and had stopped them from going too far on many occasion.

Mickie was far too cautious, always wanting to know what was going to happen. How it was going to affect them and the people around them. She was also their conscious, their heart, the one that told them to stop when people were in danger of getting hurt.

Randy was inpatient, always wanting to be on the move, getting on with the next plan to make money, find shelter. He was also the driving force that kept them going, pushing them to make their lives better. It was in that moment that Beth knew why they all worked so well as a team. They had almost a perfect counterpoint to one another. Just like any musical composition. Tunes and melody's playing in opposition to one another, yet coming together to create a perfect harmony of sound.

For her own role Beth was impulsive, often seeing something and going for it no matter what the consequences. She knew no fear when it came to keeping her friends alive, and protecting them from people who would see them harm. Her impulsiveness had also led them to finding good places to sleep, kept them out of trouble on more than one occasion, and now Randy was asking her again to come up with a plan on the spot.

Beth took a deep breath thinking, and no matter how much she thought she could not see another way out of this situation.

"Ok we could leave the money hidden here, but that has risk, it could be stolen, or found by the soldiers. Plus at some point we would have to come back for it. The advantage is we could walk out of here get searched and be on our merry way." Beth said but she could already see Randy shaking his head.

"No I didn't like that idea either." Beth interjected before Randy could voice his displeasure.

"Option two then, we split the money up between us, hide it in our clothes and just hope they don't strip search us." This time Randy didn't react and Beth could almost see the cogs turning in his brain. It was unnerving the silence for a moment. The only sound was the wind rushing through the back street. It was creating an almost high pitched whine. If they had not been so quite Beth would not have heard it at all. Now though the pitch of the sound was setting her teeth on edge and she just wished Randy would say something.

"You know that's not a bad idea, but I think we can do better." He said finally a small smile appearing on his face and Beth didn't like the look one bit.

Mickie and John both froze to the spot. Knowing if they were to run, it would mean either being shot, or simply tackled to the floor by one of the many soldiers. It would also make them look extremely guilty. Turning around slowly the pair of them followed the sound of the voice calling out top them to wait where they were.

There was something very familiar in that voice but Mickie could not put her finger on what it was. In the gloom of the lights that illuminated the street it was hard to make out the soldier who had shouted for them to stop. The flashlight attached to his wrist was illuminating them, but casting him in shadows.

"Yes you two, what are you doing out…" His voice trailed off as he got closer, he stopped directly in front of them and pointed the light directly at their faces. John raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare.

"God I'm sorry but, John? Mickie?" The soldier said lowering the light as both John and Mickie were stunned by the use of their names. Thinking for a moment the game was up. that they had in fact been recognised in that bank. John clutched hold of Mickie's hand tightly. ready to make a run for it if it were necessary.

The soldier then turned his flashlight on himself and Mickie them realised why she had found that voice so familiar.

"Paul, is that you?" Mickie said looking back at the former superstar known as Triple H and he nodded slowly. The fact that he had become part of something she hated was not lost on her. She understood his reasons however. He had a wife and children, he had people depending on him to keep them safe and from starving. He also looked slightly embarrassed about his appearance.

"I am afraid so, how have you been I have not seen any of you for so long now." He asked relaxing his stance and dropping the flashlight so it beam pointed downwards.

"We have been ok, getting by you know." John said reluctant to give the man too much information. He may have once been their friend, but now he was something entirely different. Friend or not if he knew they had been responsible for the bank robbery, he would no doubt bring them in.

"I'm sure, it's not been easy on any of us. I had to make a decision a while ago after Vince lost his job. It was either go onto the street or join the military. I am still deciding if I chose the right option." Paul said as Mickie moved forward and placed her hand on his arm. The contact was warm and they both looked at their connected body parts. It took a moment for either of them to speak.

"Believe me you choose wisely." Mickie said not needing to give the gory details about what it was like living like they did. Paul obviously didn't need to hear it. He saw it every day, patrolling the city as a soldier.

"What brings you all out here tonight?" john said as Mickie stepped back breaking the contact between herself and Paul. The moment was lost as Paul returned to soldier mode.

"Bank robbery, Four men robbed the branch down the street not an hour ago, we have a full scaled man hunt out looking for them." He said and the change in tone was evident. John wondered how much information he could get out of Paul without arousing his suspicions.

"Do you think they are dangerous?" He asked deciding that it was a safe enough question. Something any concerned citizen would ask.

"Probably, they killed a US Marshall escaping, so we know they are carrying guns and aren't afraid to use them." Paul said, not realising that the small nugget of information he had just given them was so profound.

Mickie almost collapsed under the weight of the revelation. Randy had not meant to kill the Marshal she was sure of it. But none of them had checked to see if he was still alive. Randy was also unaware that he was murderer, and Mickie wondered how this would affect him.

"That's awful, did you get a good description of them?" John asked realising that Mickie was in no condition to talk right now. He himself was only just managing to hold on to reality as Paul shook his head.

"Not really four guys in black hoods. Two were large over six feet and the other two smaller, maybe five eight, and five six. Never the less they have nowhere to run, we will find them, so don't worry, but I suggest you get off the street. Not only for your protection, but you are likely to get stopped everywhere you go." Paul said as a soldier behind him shouted his name.

"Lovesque, you coming we got five more streets to do?" The man shouted as Paul turned from them to reply. The soldier stood and waited for Paul while he spoke to John and Mickie.

"Maybe I will see you around, it would be nice to catch up sometime, and please get a room tonight." He said quickly as more shouts for him to hurry up came from behind him. Mickie and John told him that they would try and find him again if time allowed and Paul with a final nod went back to his patrol unit.

Breathing a sigh of relief Mickie and John hurried off into the night, not believing their luck at getting stopped by someone they knew. Paul had not even bothered to search them, and that was a good thing. The cash weigh almost heavy in their bags, pushing down on their shoulders like a heavy weight, but it was of course all in their mind. The notes themselves weighed next to nothing, but now they were covered in that US Marshall blood, weighed down by his lifeless body. Mickie just hoped the man's sacrifice would be worth it in the end, although she suspected it would be little comfort to his family.

"What no way, why are you always trying to sell me off!" Beth said as Randy's idea dawned on her, and as much as she didn't like it, she knew it was a good plan.

"I'm not always trying to sell you, in fact this is the first time." Randy said in protest as he pulled the back pack off his shoulder and pulled out one of his shirts. Holding it out in his hand he offered it to Beth who folded her arms.

"And why do you expect me to do with that?" She said knowing full well what his intention was but wanting him to say it out loud.

"Well I thought you could wear it, I mean a large coat, big baggy jeans and a bright green jumper are not appropriate wear for a hooker now are they." He said eyeing her and Beth flared her nostrils slightly.

"Oh and your shirt is much better?" She questioned as Randy grabbed her by the belt and unbuckled it. Beth was in too much shock to stop him and as the thick black leather belt came loose from its mornings Randy held it up.

"My shirt few buttons undone, synched in at the waist with this, and, oh those black stockings you stole the other week. I knew those would come in handy." Randy said with a small grin as Beth snatched the items of clothing off him.

"I was going to use them for storing saleable items that might break. Not to mention the fact that I will freeze in this." She said eyeing the shirt and shivering at the thought of it. Time however was not on her side. The voices of the soldiers could be heard from their hidey hole now and they both knew in a matter of minutes they would be discovered.

"Turn around." Beth hissed at Randy who obliged her, even placing his body in-between her and the outside would Beth stripped and pulled on Randy's shirt. It hung low just above mid-thigh. She tightened the belt around her waist and only did up a few buttons. Leaving plenty of cleavage on show. Pulling up the stockings and placing her flat pumps on her shoes it was by no means perfect. She had no makeup on, no high heels and she hadn't had a bath in days. Shuffling around in her bag once more Beth finally found the small glass bottle she had been looking for. It was a tiny bottle of perfume, almost empty now she had been saving it from back when she could afford such luxuries.

Now it was time to use it, there would be no greater need than at this moment, and if their plan were to succeed she needed to look and smell like the genuine article.

The plan was simple, the only people who had money on them, other than respectable people with jobs were pimps and their hookers. It was still not legal to sell sex for money but the authorities did nothing to stop it. Soldiers even indulged themselves in the activity, some often, and a good looking woman could charge up to fifteen dollars a time. Randy had hidden almost two hundred dollars on himself. Shaving it down his underwear, knowing that no soldier would go that far. Beth had concealed another hundred in the bottom of her shoes, and it left them with two hundred dollars.

An amount they would hope to explain by their profession. Tapping Randy on the shoulder to let him know she was ready. Randy turned around to inspect her, his eyes wandered up and down her form and Beth couldn't help but squirm under his scrutiny. She thought if it was this bad when Randy was looking at her, someone she knew and trusted, how bad would it be when it was some horny soldier?

"You'll do." He said, which was neither encouraging nor discouraging. It was by definition the truth, and Beth nodded wrapping her arms around herself to fight off the cold. A think shirt was not sufficient winter clothing and she hoped this experience would be over quickly.

"Come on, we have to go now before we are caught here." Randy said taking her by the hand and pulling Beth out onto the street. She looked like she didn't want to go, and it was perfect as the soldiers spotted them and shouted over.

"Hey stop right there!" Two guards approached them quickly as Randy stopped her, his hand on her arm as though he were preventing her from running away. Beth knew it was almost the truth. She could see the two soldiers more clearly now as they came under the street lamp and stopped a few feet from their position.

"Hello their gentlemen, were you looking for some entertainment tonight. Because I do have a treat for you if you are interested." Randy said his pimp persona was perfect, he even had the cursory leer on his face as he pushed Beth forward.

The soldiers looked at her for a moment as Beth raised her chin and refused to be intimidated. She was supposed to be used to this. A professional to some degree, and hiding away, or worse punching them in the nose would not be a good idea.

"Umm perhaps, how much?" The shorter of the two men said. He was obviously more interested in Beth than getting on with the job and his companion elbowed him.

"We have got a search to do, you can't go off screwing every whore you see." Beth flinched slightly at the word whore but made no outward signs. Randy spoke up at that moment feeling her tension.

"She is fifteen dollars, and worth every penny, I am sure you cannot afford her, you are not my usual clientele." Randy said scrutinising the men as the taller one stepped forward gun raised slightly. He was eyeing Beth, and she could see he was interested, he just hid it far better than the smaller younger man.

"I am an officer in the military, are you saying she is beyond my currents means. She is beautiful, but there are plenty of other women who are just as beautiful and half the price." He said his voice was a low warning and Randy held up his hands.

"I did not realise sir, but you are mistaken, not only is she beautiful but she is talented. Once she has satisfied you, you will come back for more. I guarantee it." Randy said he knew this was dangerous, this officer might actually take them up on Randy's offer and there was no way Randy was going to let that happen. He was counting on the fact that the current situation would force the soldiers to move on. It was a risk, but so far they had not been searched or approached by anyone else.

"Is that so, well maybe I should get a free sample, if I am going to pay such a high price." The man said as his younger companion pouted slightly and dropped his gun to the floor. The butt made a thud as it hit the concrete and caused the officer to turn and look at him.

"Pick your weapon up soldier, have some dammed respect!" The officer barked as he rounded on the young man and he seemed to shrink into the floor.

"I understand that as a soldier you need to satisfy urges, we all do, but now is not the time, for me either." The man then turned to Randy and looked at Beth once more.

"For me also, but I will be looking for you, I want to see why you are worth such a high price." He said pointing one long and thick finger in Beth's direction. With that the two men swept away without even attempting to search the pair. Beth and Randy breathed out a sigh of relief and virtually ran down the street until they were lent against the mesh railing of the third district housing area, and their way in.

"My god that nearly went very wrong, remind me next time that it's your turn to play the gigolo." Beth said as they pushed their way inside and moved towards the apartment building.

"As soon as this town becomes a city of the Valkyries I will be ready and waiting." Randy said with a smile as Beth pushed open the door finding Mickie and John already waiting for them.

Well a super long one that turned out to be. Actually this story seems to be writing itself unlike my other one. Feedback is greatly appreciated and makes me want to update. Thank you for reading XxX


	7. Nightmares

I know it has been ages but Christmas is coming and I have had little time to write. So enjoy this chapter, and please note some scenes may be unsuitable for younger readers.

Chapter7: Nightmares

By the time Randy and Beth got to the abandoned apartment building, Mickie and John had already been there for over half an hour. They were growing restless, scared that something had happened to their friends, and unable to do anything about it.

John had been pacing the floor for the last ten minutes and it was beginning to make Mickie dizzy. Scowling at John did not seem to do the trick however. The former wrestler seemed to need the movement to stop himself from going insane.

"They should have been here by now, something has happed I am sure of it." John said pausing briefly to look at Mickie before continuing on another circuit of the entrance hall. He had his hands clasped in front of him and his shoulders were tense. Mickie swivelled in her chair standing up and blacking his route forward, she placed her hands on his shoulders. John made a small attempt to move out of her way, but the effort was half hearted in its attempt. Mickie knew if John really wanted to move her he could simply push her out of his way, but as she stood there holding him firm he looked down at her.

"What is scaring you most John. The thought that Randy and Beth may not come back? Or that they will and you will have to tell your best friend he is a murderer?" Mickie said catching John's gaze with her own as she spoke. She registered shock at first on his face as she spoke, then an almost unperceivable nod of his head.

"Because I am telling you now, its scares the hell out of me, knowing we could destroy him with our words, that in just one moment we could change his entire life. yet we have no option but to do so." Mickie continued letting go of John but this time he did not continue on his endless journey. He merely stood opposite the petite brunette and took in a deep breath.

"Maybe we don't have to tell him, maybe he may never find out as long as we leave this town quickly enough." Even as he spoke John knew it would never work. The biggest news in the city was the bank robbery, and the Marshalls' death was bound to be plastered over ever newspaper, and on every radio broadcast. There was no way they could admit to seeing Paul and not tell them everything he told them.

As Mickie started shaking her head John turned from her and sat down on the nearest chair. Mickie placed her hand on his shoulder her fingers squeezing slightly pushing the material of his jumper down against his skin as he allowed some of the tension to slip from his tightened muscles.

"I know we have to tell him, better coming from us than him reading it on some faceless new stand, but how do you even begin that sentence?" He said as Mickie placed her hand on his other shoulder and began massaging either side of his neck. It was a uniquely intimate moment, something they rarely allowed themselves to indulge in, but it was perfect timing as far as John was concerned.

As Mickie's slender yet deceptively string fingers dung into the knots that used to be his muscles he was almost too relaxed to hear her speaking in a quiet voice behind him.

"Perhaps you don't, and maybe I do."

His friend's angst unbeknown to Randy at this point was actually also redundant. For almost a year now Randy Orton had already been tarnished with the brush of killer, it was just that no one knew about it. It was a thought that had run through his mind as he turned and saw the gun pointed at Beth's head. He was just starting to rid himself of the face of his last victim, could he live again with another.

The nightmares he had had early on were easily explained away by their situation. There had been many times when they had come close to things going very wrong for them. Threatened by gangs, pursued by soldiers. Oh Randy had many things to have nightmares about, but only one haunted his unconsciousness for a very long time.

_It had been raining hard that day, hard enough to soak through any coat they had out on if stood outside for long enough in it. It hadn't stopped them from going to the store five blocks from where they had set up camp for the past few days. Mickie had wanted to see if they could get hold of an umbrella, but Randy had said it was too late and if they were going to make it back before dark they should get on with it._

"_You go in and get his attention, I will swipe the cheese, and then come and pay for the bread." Randy said as Mickie gave him an odd look as the rounded the final corner to Michigan Avenue and tried to keep in the shadow of the building. Protecting themselves from the worst of the rain._

"_Pay I thought we were coming here to steal things." Mickie said with a slight smirk on her face as Randy pushed her slightly in the back to encourage her forwards._

"_It was Beth's suggestion after the last guy got suspicious of me and we almost got caught. If we actually buy something they are less likely to suspect us of stealing." Randy said as they finally made it to the shop door and were grateful for the reprieve from the rain._

"_True, ok so be quick, this guy gives me the creeps." Mickie said as she pushed open the door and headed straight for the counter. _

_The robbery went as planned, randy had pocketed the cheese quickly and had picked up a loaf of bread in his price range. He had allowed enough time for browsing, and to let Mickie get pretty annoyed as he finally paid and they left without incident .What they hadn't known at the time was that they were being watched._

_The rain hadn't let up at all since they had entered the shop, and the sky was darkening quickly for the time of year. Sun covered up behind huge grey clouds that seemed to hang in the sky and cage those below it. Randy looked down the street and saw the two men emerge from a passageway that led behind the buildings. He didn't know why or how he knew, but as soon as he saw them his entire body went on alert_

"_Mickie go now, take the stuff and get back to the house." Randy said referring to an abandoned house they had been squatting in for about a week now. It was out of the way, and a good trek back into town, but worth it so far. Now Randy was wishing they had been closer to home._

"_What, why?" Mickie said having not spotted the two men Randy had seen as they walked briskly down the side walk and turned into a back street._

"_We're being followed, two men, I am going to hang back get their attention while you get away with the stuff. We need to eat Mickie, and we have a much better chance of that if we split up." Randy said and he could already here the protest in Mickie's body language but there was no time for the debate now._

"_Go I will be fine, if I am not carrying anything of value they will leave me alone." Randy had said shoving the bread and cheese into Mickie's oversized coat and basically shoving her down the street. Mickie finally conceded and took off at lightning speed just before the two men walked around the corner._

_The moments that followed were something Randy had never forgotten, it always started the same way. The men would approach him asking if he had a light. He told them he didn't smoke and turned form them, intending on continuing on his way. One of the men span him round, he had on a grey hat that covered part of his face, and a large black over coat. The buttons were silver and they glinted in the light from the street. It was that light that caught his attention because he then saw the flash come from the barrel of a gun in the man's hand. Darting backwards out of reach Randy was stopped by the second man. His gloved hands closing around his shoulders and pressing against his flash tightly enough to have left impressions on his skin._

"_We know you have food, or at least the woman you were with does, where is she?" The man who had hold of him asked, but Randy's focus was on that gun. It was jet black and had a long barrel, it looked like it was brand new the way it glinted in the light and for some strange reason at that moment Randy admired the craftsmanship of the weapon. He thought it was his minds way of dealing with his imminent death. For there was no way he was going to tell these men where Mickie was. By now she was probably almost home and Randy knew if he were to die here and now, at least his friends would be safe._

"_No a chance in hell." He sneered at them letting them know in no uncertain terms that he would be telling them nothing. The blow to his ribs was a surprise but not the one he had been expecting. Doubling over trying to lessen the pain he heard one of the men laugh before being yanked back upright. His ribs protested at the movement but he raised his head anyway and looked at the man with the gun in the eye._

"_Kill me if you want, but I won't be telling you anything." He said taking short shallow breaths to prevent his ribs for aching so much._

"_Oh my friend there are far worse things than death." The man replied as the gun barrel the one Randy had so admired with its shiny new lacquer stuck him in the mouth. Spitting out blood and what he suspected was a bit of tooth Randy caught the second blow coming out of the corner of his eye. Ducking slightly forward the gun stuck the man holding him and Randy was immediately released._

_In the confusion Randy saw his moment as the man with the gun checked on his friend Randy snatched it from his loosened grasp. The man swung around meaning to lash out at Randy but he had already pulled the trigger. Randy watched as the man's mouth turned into a small O shape, lips puckered and eyes sliding to the back of his head before he hit the ground hard. The rain splashing up all around him as he landed, coving his black coat in dark brown spots as it settled on his once clean mac._

_The other man then backed up, his lip split and his face swollen he raised his palms up at Randy and took off along the back street before Randy could think about doing anything. That was how it had gone down, that day, one man dead at his feet, and his gun in Randy's hand. The other man fled without a trace and no one had come to check to see what had happened._

_Sometimes though Randy's nightmares did not stop there, he didn't just walk out of that back street and hunker back down into his coat and go home. Sometimes the man he killed came back to life, grabbing hold of his foot as he tried to leave. Sometimes the police came around the corner and shot him without asking questions. And other times and these were the times when he had woken up in a sweat. Other times Mickie had returned with Beth and John to help him, only to find he did not require any. They had seen what he had done and had simply turned their backs on him. Leaving him there in that street with the man he had killed. No rain was strong enough to wash away his sins now, he was dirty far below the skin and unreachable to the pounding of the rain that had fallen all around him._

_Randy had never told his friends about what had happened after Mickie had left him, only that he managed to evade the men and get back. He had concealed the gun and later on claimed to have found it in an abandoned warehouse with some other junk he had found. No one had questioned him, no one had needed to they trusted him, they did not know he was a killer._

Beth pushed open the door to see Mickie massaging John's shoulder's while the big man hung his head and breathed heavily through his nose. An amused expression crossed Beth's face as Randy also spotted the scene. John looked up as the entered and saw both of his friends looking at him with sly smiles.

"Hey where have you been?" he said for a moment caught off guard by their sudden appearance and the relaxed state Mickie had managed to get him into.

"Oh just dodging your friendly military officer, but hey don't let us interrupt." Randy said his smile now fixed on Mickie who had not removed her hands from John's shoulders but had relaxed them slightly. He noted that she had hardly reacted to their arrival and even now as they joked between them her eyes remained hard.

"Oh yeah and what have you come as?" John said now pointing to Beth who was still in Randy's shirt and stockings. Folding her arms across her chest Beth moved in closer so that she could get closer to the fire Mickie and John had started. Its smoke was wafting up the long abandoned chimney, but the heat from its flames felt great on her icy skin.

"Randy thought it would be a good idea to get passed the soldiers by posing as a prostitute, and her pimp. Don't ask, all you need to know is that it worked." Beth said finally able to feel her fingers once more she turned to warm her back. Only then did she notice Randy and Mickie staring at one another. It was one of those moments when you felt like you needed to hold your breath in anticipation of what was coming. A look of sorrow crossed Mickie's face as Randy's fingers tightened into fists and John started to look uncomfortable. Like a piggy in the middle, but in the middle of two very hungry lions.

Beth was about to say something to end whatever was going on here but Mickie beat her to it.

"That Marshal you shot Randy, he is dead." The words spoken with so little emotion felt practiced and clinical to Beth's ear, but the look on Mickie's face was unguarded and struck Beth harder than the awful words falling from her friends lips. Mickie had spoken the words with such a detachment for if she had not they would have failed to come at all. Her arms finally fell from John's shoulders at the release of telling Randy the truth. Mickie turned as Beth walked towards her and had to hold herself upright on one of the chairs.

Randy however remained motionless in the centre of the room, looking beyond Mickie now and over her shoulder at god knows what. His nightmare had finally become reality, they finally knew that he was a killer, all that was left now was for them to leave him outside in the cold where he belonged.

So will they leave Randy, knowing what he did? Will he tell them the truth about what happened before? I hope to update as soon as possible, but for now your reviews inspire so let me know what you thought. Merry Christmas and thank you for reading XxX


	8. Confessions

Welcome back dear readers I apologise for the delay and I hope people are still interested in this story. So onwards.

"The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones." – Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare.

Chapter 8: Confessions

When Paul Lovesque returned to the barracks a little before dawn on another cold and windy December evening he came back to chaos. Many of the troops had yet to get any sleep that night and all of the officers were barking orders.

No one had been able to locate any of the bank robbers. Not even a whiff of their whereabouts had been discovered and those in power were up in arms. They felt this was a call to the rest of the population that could not afford even basic living in the current climate, that stealing was once again on the agenda.

Paul strode in with his regiment and was immediately directed to the meeting hall along with many others. It seemed that sleep was something he would have to wait for. Moving forward in to the hall Paul found a seat next to his friends. They looked at one another wondering what this was all about. Well of course they knew it would be about the bank robbery, but what could their superiors possibly be here to tell them. New information would have been passed on to the search parties. News of a capture would have spread quickly, and punishment for not completing their task would not have been held on mass.

Paul fidgeted with his uniform. It had been almost a week since he had been home to see Stephanie and his children. He had been due leave this weekend but he knew that was no longer going to be possible. The one good thing had been that he had got to see John and Mickie. Knowing they were ok had lifted his sprits somewhat, as it had been so long since he had seen anyone from back before it all went to hell.

Paul's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the Captain and the hall once full of hushed chatter dropped in to a ghostly silence. All eyes turned to the front as the Captain looked at each of them in turn. His eyes moving from person to person, the look of thunder not changing only the direction with which it was pointed.

"Nothing, over a hundred men, searching for over nine hours and not even a sniff of a suspect. What am I supposed to tell the commissioner!" he boomed then, his voice echoing off the stone walls as all sat straighter in their chairs before him.

"I suppose you lot don't care it's not your arse on the line, well let me tell you something for every ear bashing I get, I will make sure you lot get one to!" The Captain moved down the rows until he came to stand directly opposite the row that Paul had sat in. he was now extremely grateful he had not got the end chair.

"What do you think we should do solider?" The Captain asked before grabbing the young man by the cheeks and forcing him to look up at the angry Captain. The boy froze and shook his head, a stuttered I don't know slipped from his lips as the Captain pushed him away and continued along the rows.

"How about this we look in every abandoned apartment building. Check every refugee camp, and search every person we see on the street. We check every train station, every port, until we find our robbers!" the Captain shouted almost making all the men jump simultaneously as he exited the room and allowed the door to slam closed behind him.

Leaning back against the wall in a brief moment of weakness Captain George Anderson stood up straight and adjusted his uniform. He knew he could not put of telling the commissioner any longer. Walking down the hallway he stopped at the large oak doors and knocked on them soundly.

"Enter!" Came the firm reply and Anderson pushed open the doors. It was warm in the office and Anderson closed the doors quickly behind him to block out the cold from the corridor.

"Progress report sir!" The Captain snapped as the large man behind the desk looked up at him slowly.

"I know of your progress Captain, or should I say lack of." The southern accent was still there, well hidden at times and almost gone, but the Captain heard it in the inflection of his own rank.

"I am aware we have made little progress sir, but we have no description of the robbers, in fact descriptions have been so varied I am not even sure how many people we are even looking for." Anderson replied as the commissioner stood up and walked around his desk and sat upon the corner of it.

"Maybe you should stop your men from consorting with whores when they are supposed to be working." The commissioner replied as he picked up what was probably whiskey as slugged it back in one go.

"Whores sir?" The Captain enquired as the big Texan man placed his glass back down and eyed his subordinate.

"Indeed from what I hear from one of your warrant officers she was quite a pretty one at that. I may not have served in the army long, but I have been in combat. You forget how running a business can be very similar to war. The enemy does not always allow itself to be seen, but hides in shadows waiting for a moment to slip right on by. I do not want this incident to spark anarchy in this city I want these people caught. Even if you have to put out an arrest warrant for Robin Hood!" the commissioner rounded on his Captain as the smaller man nodded and made a hasty exit as soon as John waved him away.

John went back to sitting in his seat and looking out of the window. The rain was back again, but he knew for the people out there on the streets, rain was far better than freezing frosts, or worse snow. It wouldn't be long now before either visited their small slice of hell here in Illinois. But John Bradshaw Layfield had been through his share of hard times, he would survive. He just hoped some of his old friends would be just as fortunate.

For a moment Randy was silent, he did not know what to say or how to react. He supposed shock would be appropriate and so allowing himself to sit silently in the chair behind him he let Mickie's statement hang in the air a moment longer.

"You saved my life Randy, probably all our lives, you can't let this ruin yours." Beth said from the fireplace. Her voice came closer as she spoke and Randy finally felt her hand rest upon his shoulder. He dared not look up at her yet though for fear she would see the truth in his eyes. They now knew him to be a killer, the amount of people did not matter, did it?

"It's ok man I know it's a shock, but I am sure you didn't mean to kill him, it was a pretty tense situation." John said also rallying around Randy and moving in closer to offer his support. For a moment Randy was unaware of what they were saying, so sure was he that they would want to leave him. Kick him out on the street for what he did that when Mickie finally spoke again the words finally registered.

"We have all had to do things we regret, but you're no killer Randy, you didn't murdered him in cold blood." Coming closer to, so they were now all stood around Randy Mickie looked at Beth first and offered her friend a small smile. The blonde returned the look but they were all worried about Randy. Scared that this might ruin him forever.

"I am sure what we are going to do will not be the end of things we will regret." Beth said giving Randy's shoulder a squeeze and finally he looked up at them. A ghost of a smile pulled at his lips as he met their eyes in turn.

"I guess not, nor will it have been the first, but right now we need to think about how we are going to get out with all this money." Randy said deciding that dwelling on this would not be good for any of them. Thankfully the others were in silent agreement , and the change in subject quickly taken on board and run with.

"Well I would suggest the train, but it is likely that the military will start checking passengers. Same with the boats, no one will be getting out of the city without being searched not now." John said as Mickie and Beth each claimed a chair and listened.

"John is right, they aren't stupid they know whoever robbed that bank is going to try and get away as soon as possible. We could try waiting it out here for a week until the heat dies down, but we will be risking running into the worst of the weather." Beth said as Randy nodded his head in agreement. Beth knew that look Randy had thought of something, and she knew they probably were not going to like it.

"What about walking out, and getting a train from the next state, I mean its only fifty miles or so we could do it in a couple of days." Mickie suggested but on one liked that idea. There would be bandits along the way. Probably enough of them to steal the money they had collected and leave them dead in a ditch somewhere.

"I doubt we would make it, and even if we did, who's to say they won't have been informed to keep an eye out any way. No we need to go now, the military aren't going to stop looking for us, and hiding the money is too dangerous." Randy said and Beth knew he was going to tell them his plan.

"We need to get our hands on a car." Randy said and Beth hung her head, she knew she wasn't going to like this, but never in a million years did she think he would suggest driving.

"Randy no one drives anymore, we would be as obvious as hell diving along the highway." Mickie said before Beth could say anything. They were of course both right, a car would be the fastest way to get out without being interrogated by the military. But also there were no cars on the road. Busses, the odd private vehicle of the superrich and military transports.

"Then we take a car that wouldn't be considered out of place." Beth said then and all eyes turned to her. She looked at each of them and shrugged.

"We get hold of a military vehicle one of those small trucks, no one would notice one of those moving around I mean they are everywhere." Beth said still thinking about where they could get one from.

"I think I know a man who might just have one." John said surprising everyone as he lent back in his chair and allowed a small smile to come to his face.

"And how do you know of someone like that?" Randy asked as John lent forward.

"Well just before you guys came to live with me at the house Matt and Jeff had been there, they were moving on to start up their own business in reconditioning cars for sale to the military. As far as I know they managed to make themselves a nice little earner. Doing repairs and replacement parts to. It is possible they will have something they could sell to us." John said as Mickie patted him on the back.

"I knew there was a reason we kept you around." She smirked at him and John gave her a pretend scowl as Randy stood up giving his friend a slap on the shoulder.

"It's decided then, in the morning we go and see the brothers Hardy and find out what they can do for us. For now though let's get some sleep a." Randy said walking towards the stairs, deciding that he rather enjoyed the thought of sleeping in a bed for once. The others seemed to have the same idea and moving on to the first floor they all chose rooms next to one another.

Randy had no idea how long he had been asleep for, but something had woken him up. The darkness of the room and the quite that now hung in the air made him pause. If this had been some kind of raid there would surely be noise. If it had been someone breaking into steel things from them, then the others would have heard something to. But now he was left in the darkness wondering what had woken him. The possibility of a nightmare crossed his mind, ones like he used to have that woke him up in a sweat, but he could not remember having such a dream, and he was dry as a bone. Sitting up slightly and looking through the tattered curtains at the moon beyond, he realised that it was no longer raining. Maybe the break in the constant rattle of rain against the window had disturbed his slumber. Sighing Randy went to fluff his pillow up some as it was old and flat and his neck was already protesting at the lumpiness of it.

"I wondered if you might have bad dreams." The smooth voice came from the corner where an old arm chair sat. Randy almost fell out of bed at the sound before he recognised who it was.

"Umm Beth what in the world are you doing, get some sleep." Randy said as Beth stood up and came over to him.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok. Being told you killed someone is not your everyday occurrence, and I know you Randy, better than you think. You bottle things up until they rip you apart. You have had nightmares before. Ones that have kept you awake many nights, and I thought you may want some company if one woke you tonight." Beth said sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking down at him. She made no effort to touch him, but did not break his gaze either. Randy couldn't look away from those blue eyes and he knew she was offering him the chance to tell her.

"I had the nightmares before about killing someone, I don't think they are going to bother me again now." He said so quietly Beth had to lean forward slightly to hear him.

"I know." She said this time she reached out and took his hand in hers, holding it gently as she allowed Randy to work it out in his head.

"You knew and never said anything. What about the others?" He asked sitting up more now before Beth pushed him back down.

"They don't know anything, you spoke in your sleep once, when we were caught in that storm and couldn't get back to the others. It might have been the storm, or something that reminded you of what happened, but you woke me shouting about killing a man in a hat, about taking his gun and how sorry you were. When you woke up I pretended like I heard nothing and you kept quiet. I don't want you to keep quite this time Randy. Don't lose yourself to your own demons." Beth said her hand still held firmly in his as the rain started to patter on the window again. Lighter this time but it was enough for them to both turn their heads and look out of the window.

"It was raining that day to." Randy started as Beth made herself comfortable to listen to his story. Tonight was the time for confessions, for tomorrow was the start of their new journey.

Hope that was worth the wait, remember reviews are not just for Christmas I would love to hear your opinion. Thank you for reading XxX


	9. On the road again

Apologies for the long delay, please forgive me, but life sometimes has a unfortunate consequence of getting in the way.

Chapter 9: On the road again

The morning seemed to creep up on them, like a lion stalking deer out on the African plane. Slowly dawn broke over the city, the sun never quite making it through the thick cloud that hung over Chicago.

Randy's eyes opened slowly, as the limited light hit his eyes and made him want to simply turn over and go back to sleep. The weight on his left arm finally roused him. His eyes opening to see a mass of blonde hair lying next to him, and the previous night's conversation came back to him. He remembered he had talked for what seemed like hours, finally looking down to see Beth had fallen asleep. Unwilling to disturb her he had merely laid down beside her and let his own body relax into unconsciousness.

Now awake, he paused at waking her again, knowing that in sleep they could at least for a while forget what had become of them, how their lives had turned out. But as the lion finally breaks cover to kill her prey on out in the open, so the dream must also inevitably end.

Beth rolled over onto her back trying to supress a yawn and stretching her stiff muscles.

"What time is it?" she enquired as Randy glanced down at his watch.

"Time to go." He replied as they both silently got out of bed and got ready for the journey ahead.

The four of the met in the lobby once more, none of them had said anything, they just all seemed to appear there at the same time, just seeming to instinctually know when it was time to go. Making sure they all had everything they needed they headed out on to the empty street. It was just before eight in the morning and a dull a day as they had ever seen. It was important that they kept out of sight. Being found and searched now was not how any of them wanted to start the day.

Randy led the way, leading them towards the city's edge. Many people avoided this part of town, it was full of unsavoury characters. Right now that was working in the groups favour, moving quickly through the ever dilapidating streets. Houses went from simply being boarded up, to being in total ruins. Crumbling brickwork, and peeling paint wasn't the worst of it either. Some of the houses had been burnt out. The wooden window frames blackened with the long forgotten fires that once ravage their interiors. Keeping her head down making sure she didn't fall over any rubble Mickie didn't want to look at the devastation. It made her sad beyond belief, to think that once this had been a thriving town, full of children coming home from school, full of the hopes of the future. With all the potential in the world to do whatever they wanted to do. Reduced to this, just a pile of bricks and motor.

Soon though the street opened out on to industrial land, surrounded by fields and this at least seemed to have remained untouched. Randy peeled off to the left and lead them down a small track, it was more like two furrows in the ground, a ridge of unkempt grass ran between the furrows and angled slightly downhill. As the four of them descended the hill the car yard came into view. Most of the vehicles looked derelict, but a few of them were not. Most were military transports, but there was also what looked like a old mustang in one corner and Mickie walked over to it. She ran her hand across the bent hood of the car. It red paint dulled by years of being out in the bright sunshine. It was one of the saddest things Mickie had ever seen, and she was stunned by the realisation.

"Hi there what can I… my God Randy Orton." A familiar voice spoke making Mickie jump slightly as she spun round to see Matt Hardy shaking hands with Randy, then John in turn. Leaning forward them to embrace Beth Mickie finally stepped out of her reprieve and into the here and now.

"Matt" she said embracing him, he was thinner than she remembered, smaller somehow, but it was defiantly him. His eyes held a sadness that she was now familiar with and as she pulled away from him, his head lowered to the floor. His boot scuffing the earth away, his hands reaching for the peak of his baseball cap that had seen better days.

"So what brings you guys here, I can't believe you would make the journey just for a social call." Matt said, he had obviously not been immune to the effect that the past year had had on them all.

"We wanted to get our hands on a car." John said looking around the yard and spotting one or two that might do the job for them.

"A car a, should I ask why or would it be better if I didn't?" Matt asked as he moved towards the small house that sat at the rear of the yard. The rest of them followed. Reading the invitation to join him, in his movements.

"Probably better not to ask, but we do have money." Randy said as Matt pushed open the door and let them inside. The house was small, but it was also warm. A real log burner sat in the corner of the kitchen. Its flames warmed the room, and cast it in a soft glow. As they all gathered around the wooden table in the centre Matt placed his hands on the aging wood and lent forward slightly.

"Then I may have something for you." He said with a slight smile as Randy grinned back at him, like they had already some unspoken agreement. The moment however was broken with John's question.

"So where is Jeff?" He said looking around as though he expected the eccentric enigma of a man to appear through on of the doors. Matt silence told them all they needed to know, Matt didn't need to say anything at that point but as though some force was driving him to, the words fell from his lips.

"He was killed a few months back, a gang made a raid on the place, Jeff stepped in to protect the money and was shot for his efforts. I wasn't here, I was taking a car up to the city, he was already dead when I returned." Matt's voice dropped off, the guilt obvious in his tone. Mickie stepped forward and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She didn't voice her condolences, they went unsaid as silence permutated the room like an icy wind.

"So about a car." Randy said finally knowing the moment could last no longer, and however sad Jeff's death was, there was nothing they could do about it right now.

"What was it you were looking for?" Matt asked as Randy explained that they needed to get out of the state. Matt didn't ask why and Randy didn't tell him either. They both agreed that the best car for them was a small four by four he had recently finished fixing up. leading them out to it Mickie glanced once more at the broken down Mustang in the corner of the lot. She wished they could have saved her. Fixed her up and taken her on their journey. It seemed such a shame that something once so beautiful was now probably going to be broken down for her parts.

"Here will this one do." Matt said pointing to the truck and Randy's head nodded almost immediately. She was a good size for four people. Had deep tread tires on her so of they encountered particularly bad weather on their journey it shouldn't pose too much of a problem. The car was done out in a military green, and had blacked out windows at the back. Randy opened the driver's door and climbed in. it seemed strange to be behind the wheel again after so long, but he was certain he had not forgotten how to drive.

"How much?" Randy asked as Matt tapped the windshield and looked around at the others. He could tell this was important to them, and for some reason he got the feeling this was going to be important to all of them.

"Shall we call it $500, for cash." Matt said gauging their reaction to the price and finding that it was John who dug around in his bag and produced the cash straight away.

"Sold." He said with a mild grin that played at the edges of his mouth. Matt took the money as Randy got out and let the girls in the back seat. John went around to the passenger side door and opened it, climbing in next to Randy who had hold of the driver's door, but had not yet closed it.

"Tell me one thing, will you be coming back?" Matt asked as Randy went to close the door.

"I'm not sure, but if we don't come back it will be because we don't manage to do what we are planning to do. It won't matter then either way." Randy said looking at Matt properly for the first time. The urge to ask his old friend to come with them suddenly welled up inside of him. Matt was all alone here now. With Jeff gone his life was almost isolated form any other human being, part from those who he did business with.

"Then I hope you achieve whatever it is you are hoping to do." Matt said as Randy closed the door and leaned on the open window. Knowing that now was not the time for nostalgia, Matt was not the person they had once know, none of them were. It was too great a risk to involve him in their plans and closing the door was Randy's only real option.

"So I do." Randy replied as he turned the keys in the ignition and the car roared to life. Placing the vehicle in reverse Randy backed out of the lot and span the car around. Placing a wheel in each ditch either side of the grass he drove the truck up the hill and back out on to the street. Not heading for the city however he turned the car and headed for the highway.

The first hour had been spent in silent tension, each of the wondering when they were going to be pulled over and asked to step out of the vehicle. It however had not happened. Once they had reached the highway, they had not seen another living thing. The countryside passed by like a green and brown blur. Trees mingling into the background as the truck ate up the miles. Randy focused on the road ahead had not really noticed the passing of time, the rest of them however had been almost continuingly aware of it. Almost as though a sand timer had been perched on the dash board and they could see the time literally slipping away.

The race was in fact to reach Salt lake City before the worst of the weather set in. They would likely freeze to death trying to sleep in the car, and finding safe places to camp every night was going to be difficult, if not impossible. It was about 1400 miles to Salt lake, all West, heading along the I 80, but they knew the interstate could be dangerous for them. As they drew closer to the state border Randy turned the car on to the road heading for South Dakota.

"Dude what are you doing, you're going to add days on to our journey." John said as he looked at his friend who was still focused on the road ahead.

"Maybe, but I would rather add distance and avoid any army convoys that are traveling along the interstate." He replied as Beth leaned forward.

"How much gas do we have?" she asked unable to see the dials from her position, as she also took a good look at the sky out of the front windscreen. The blacked out windows at the rear had not given her a good idea of just how dark the sky had gotten since they left.

"About half a tank, we should be ok for another two hundred miles or so." Randy said as Beth's fingers dung into his shoulder.

"I think we should find a place well before that. We don't want to be running out of gas in the middle of nowhere." She said indicating towards the sky and Randy's head nodded slowly. The temperature in the car was nice and cosy, but outside it was probably hovering around the zero degree mark. Everything was telling him that snow was soon to be on the horizon, which would not only make their journey harder, but also take longer. The fact that they had no idea where they could refuel, or when they would have to skip off the main route to avoid any patrols was now only a few of the obstacles they were going to have to overcome.

Right here right now, alone on the highway, there plan no longer seemed like the best of ideas. This was no simple trip almost half way across the breadth of the country, this was far more dangerous than any of them had previously considered. Checking the time Randy saw that it was almost four o'clock, it would be getting dark very soon, and with the cloud cover, that darkness was due to arrive far sooner rather than later. It was time to find somewhere to settle down for the night, but where to begin was eluding him right now. They had not seen a sign for a town in miles and they had no idea how bad things were out here. Switching on the headlights of the truck Randy realised just how dark it had gotten when the road in front of him was suddenly illuminated.

"There!" Beth cried just as the headlights bounced off the settling fog as Randy slowed the truck and looked at the road sign.

"Carpenter 39 miles" Beth read as the sign pointed down a road that looked like it had seen better days. Randy swung the car around and headed down the road, none of them had any idea of what they would find once they reached the odd sounding township.

Well there you go, what will be at the end of the road? Its is going to be worse than what is to come? As ever reviews are welcomed, and I promise they make me want to update faster. Thank you for reading XxX


	10. Carpenter

Welcome dear readers, please note this chapter does contain strong language read at your own discretion.

Chapter 10 Carpenter

Randy eased the truck down the ever dilapidating road, pot holes seemed to be on every side, making the truck bounce and shake its way along. Several times Randy's head nearly collided with the roof as a tire fell down one of the deeper crevices.

"You know I don't think anyone has been down here in a long time." John said from the chair next to Randy as he clutched on to the door handle to prevent himself from getting thrown around too much.

"Maybe we should turn back, I don't think we will be find much at the end of this road." Mickie said from the back seat, desperately clutching onto the back of John's chair to keep herself upright.

"Perhaps, but there is no way I am going to be able to turn on this road, we would get stuck." Randy said dodging what looked like a chasm of a pot hole, the sharp turn had the effect of crashing Beth's head into the window at the unexpected change of direction.

"Dam it Randy" Beth cussed as she placed her hand on her wounded temple and rubbed at the ache.

"Sorry, but I thought that one was going to swallow the entire truck." Randy said looking back quickly over his shoulder as a bolt of lightning lit up the road ahead for a moment. It was followed by the pounding of rain against the roof, as Randy scrambled for the windshield wipers.

"My lord that came in fast." John said as the head lamps illuminated what he had only seen for a split second when the lightning had come.

"What in the world is that?" he said peering into the gloom beyond the safety of the truck as Mickie and Beth lent forward once more as Randy slowed the tuck to an almost complete stop.

"Looks like plague signs." Beth said she was so close to Randy's ear that it almost made him jump, but the lightning that once again flashed in all their eyes covered it up.

"Back in the late seventeenth century when the black death was prevalent, small tows ships used to place a cross at their borders, to warn off travellers and such like that the town was infected. It was an effort to contain the disease. It didn't work, but it was effective in keeping people away." Beth explained as Randy moved the car forward once more. Passing between the two iron crosses that stood either side of the road. It was a eerie feeling in the dark, surrounded by rain and wind, but they had little choice. It was well passed dark now and they only had so much fuel left, continuing on now would be tantamount to suicide.

"Do you think they got infected with small pox here?" Mickie asked a slight waver in her voice which made Beth turn her head and look at her petite traveling companion.

"Who knows, but the likely hood is there will be no one left to tell up if they have." She said, her words far more ominous than the crosses that they had now left behind them as the town of Carpenter rose up before them.

Randy was grateful that the road at least had evened out, he moved the truck forwards until buildings started to spring up on either side. It looked like any other town in the heart of the American country side. The houses all had large porches and Beth could almost picture families gathered on them in the late summer sunshine. Sipping on pink lemonade and telling stories about their days. The porches stood empty now. Their swing seats abandoned long ago, swung in the wind, their old rusted frames, with paint peeling from them, no longer held the generations of family members that once resided there.

As the truck moved along the street the rain seemed to ease off and Randy flicked off the windshield wipers.

"Perhaps we can find a place to bed down for the night at least. " He said turning his head to look for a suitable place to stop. The town seemed to be abandoned and it appeared that it made no difference where he chose but something kept him driving. Unsure whether it was the thought of these houses being someone's home, or the general feel of the place Randy couldn't bring himself to stop.

"There!" John cried as Randy moved on down what was probably Main Street. They all turned to look at what John had pointed to and for the first time in what seemed like forever Randy smiled.

"Well maybe someone is smiling on us." He said turning into the small gas station. It only had a single pump, and a tiny shop but he guessed there had not been much call for gas around these parts, apart from the locals that was.

"You think it still works?" Mickie asked as Randy stopped the truck and they all climbed out. At least grateful to stretch their legs. They had all been sitting in the car for almost five hours now and it had been starting to feel like a cage.

"Who knows but I bet there is something left, no one would have come all the way down that dam track for a few gallons of gas." Randy said lifting the pump and pulling the handle a few times. Nothing however came out of the end as Beth tapped Randy on the shoulder.

"No power." She said simply turning towards the shop and indicating that they should check inside. Randy nodded and replaced the pump as he turned to John.

"You and Mickie stay out here and keep an eye out. I don't like this place it is too quiet." Randy said and John had to agree. Used to the busy life in the city which even now still seemed to hum with activity this town was as silent as a drum. John nodded at Randy as he walked off after Beth who had already started walking towards the shop. John turned back to face Mickie who was looking out across the street. Her body was tense and she was peering into the darkness, her eyes were half squinted closed as if she were staring at the sun, but it was pitch black out there. Placing his hand on her shoulder John watched as Mickie spun around to look at him in fright.

"Shit John!" Mickie said a small frown coming to her face as John held up his hands palms up.

"Sorry Mick's didn't mean to frighten you, but what in the blue hell were you looking at. Its darker than hell out there." John asked as Mickie turned and looked back in the direction that she had been previously staring into.

"I'm not sure, for a moment I thought I saw a light, I guess it could have been lightening though." Mickie said but John thought the brunette didn't sound to convinced. Deciding to say nothing but store the information away John encouraged Mickie to return to the car and wait for Beth and Randy to return.

As Beth pushed open the door to the shop, the tiny chimes on the side of the door that alerted whomever was behind the counter, that someone had entered made her jump. It was like a loud bang in a silent room, they had all be tense ever since they had entered this town and her reaction to something so stupid was evidence of that. Randy's hands coming down on to her shoulders to steady her made Beth feel even more silly as he escorted her through the doorway. The shop had a small row which looked like it had once contained magazines. Several titles were still written on the Perspex shelf that had once held them in place, the corners of the labels peeling revealing a slightly less dusty glass behind. Randy walked forward and spotted a small refrigerator that had probably contained fizzy drink and the like. It now stood empty all but for a lone can of Coke. Opening the fridge Randy pulled out the beverage and turned it over.

"Best before August 1212, do you think it's still good?" Randy asked his attempt at levity was appreciated by Beth as she smiled at him.

"Your funeral, I never really liked the stuff myself." She said moving towards the counter and circumventing it to go behind. Looking around she found the button to activate the pumps next to the cash register. She held out little hope that this was going to work as the rest of the place didn't have any power. Pushing the button with some force she wasn't disappointed, only the sound of silence followed and she scowled slightly.

"Maybe there is a mains breaker, so we can get some power, if mot we may have to suck it out." She said and Randy raised his eyebrows at the obvious sexual nature of her words. Beth chose to ignore him as she moved into the back room and looked around.

"Darker than hell in here!" she called back as Randy too walked around the counter and joined Beth in the back room. Holding open the door was not much use but it did let in some light. Finding a power box Beth pried it open with her fingers, flicking the case back and looking inside at the five switches that were all in the off position.

"Well at least this looks promising." She said to Randy who agreed with her. They both seemed to pause however, this was a moment that could make or break their journey, if they flicked the switches and nothing happened they had the real prospect of running out of fuel within the next hundred miles. Nowhere near where they wanted to be, and maybe in the middle of a field. If however they got power more questions would come up. Like how this small town in the middle of nowhere had electricity and why. Beth finally flicked on the switches one by one, first the lights for the shop came on, then the cash register lit up, then the forecourt lights illuminated the front of the gas station and finally the whir of the fuel pump could be heard waking up from below them.

"Fuck" Randy said as Beth gave him a warning look for his language but he simply just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well fuck." He said and Beth also shrugged.

"I know what you mean." She said offering no more elaboration on the subject as they both went outside to see John already pumping fuel into the truck.

"Can you believe this?" Beth said to them as they drew closer but she was stopped as she saw Mickie's frightened face.

"Yes I think someone lives here, and with all this activity if we are not alone I think we are going to find out pretty soon." She said looking back over her shoulder as John looked at the meter and saw the numbers climbing steadily higher.

"Fill it to the brim John we have no idea when we will get this chance again." Randy said already getting the keys out of his pocket and opening up all the doors. None of them climbed in however, they were not about to let John stand out here alone. The town had taken on an almost foreboding quality now as the air seemed to still. The storm had passed now leaving in its wake a kind of calm that should have proceeded it, not followed.

It was Mickie who spotted them first, small lights off in the distance, the flickered as they moved down through the houses and on to the street. Not flashlights or lanterns, but torches, burning atop long wooden sticks. It was like watching a scene from a movie, one where the good towns folk were coming along to light the fire upon which they would burn witches.

"We have to go now!" Randy said as John shook his head, the truck was not yet full and he knew he had just enough time to get in a bit more. The others climbed into the car, but Randy could not turn on the engine until John was finished. John kept his eyes on the approaching lights, he knew when he could start making out the shapes of the actual people it was time to go. Placing the pump back on its stand John jumped into the truck and Randy fired up the engine.

Pulling out of the gas station Randy turned back in the direction of the highway, he flicked the headlights on just as they pulled out into the night and immediately slammed on the breaks. A row of people blocked their path, all looking at them through the windows of the truck. Randy had never wanted to hide more in his life. There was nowhere to go, buildings stood on either side of the road, and people were now surrounding the car. John looked out of his window and jumped as a face appeared there.

"Shit!" he exclaimed as the face remained there looking in at him and he couldn't help retreating back from the window.

"Drive through them." Beth said her voice was cold and hard, she knew that it was the last thing any of them wanted to do, but right now it looked like it was their lives on the line. Randy gunned the engine as warning for the people but they made now effort to get out of the way. It in fact seemed as though they were coming closer, in greater numbers.

"Do it!" Beth said again as bagging started on the window nearest her. She clutched on to the back of Randy's chair as the bagging grew louder and now came from every side. Randy didn't think about it this time, he placed the car in drive and just as his foot came down on the peddle his window smashed inwards. The car barely moved forwards as Randy was pulled from the driver's seat through the broken glass.

"Fuck let him go you bastards!" John yelled not thinking twice and leaping out of the car to come to Randy' aid. He was set upon almost immediately, engulfed in a sea of bodies until he was no longer visible. The girls looked at one another, desperately wanting to go to their friends, but knowing it would do them no good in the long run. They would only be overwhelmed by the crowed and all of them would be prisoners or worse.

"Get in the front." Beth said climbing between the seats and brushing the glass off the chair. It seemed as though for now they were being ignored by the mob outside. They didn't know why but it was giving them a chance to come up with a plan. Beth started the car again and gunned the engine once more. She looked out through the windshield but all she could see was a mass of bodies. If Beth had known for certain that John or Randy were not amongst the mass of people gathered in front of the truck she would not have thought twice about moving forward. As it was she did not know that and was forced to remain still.

"What now?" Mickie asked as suddenly she seemed to disappear, Beth watched as Mickie was dragged from the car and swallowed up by the darkness. Beth could do nothing, she had even stopped breathing, there was nothing to do now, but wait until they came and took her to.

Dark chapter, but will the reality of what has happened out there just push them to go further to expose the truth. Or is this their last horary? Reviews are cherished Thank you for reading XxX


	11. Unruhen

Welcome dear readers I hope I did not keep you in suspense too long. I have to confess it is very late at night so this chapter may have a mind of its own. However please enjoy and note that it contains scenes of violence from the offset.

Chapter 11 Unruhen

Beth was holding her breath as hands grabbed her around the waist, kicking her legs into the air she struggled to free herself from the iron like grip around her mid-section. The attempt however was unsuccessful as she was half dragged half pushed along with the crowd. She could not see any of her companions in the sea of people that surrounded her. Stumbling forward unable to prevent herself from being moved along with the crowd Beth was finally pushed into what looked like some kind of church. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the row of pews in front of her, and at the far end of the grand building an altar. It was shrouded in white lace, clean and crisp in the stark contrast of the dark and ominous feeling of the building itself. Even its high roof and the stain glass windows could not lift the foreboding feeling that had settled in Beth's stomach.

Beth was pushed forward hard enough to cause her to land on her hands and knees at the steps of the altar. Throwing a look over her shoulder she saw Mickie also being pushed forward. The brunette didn't have such a gracious landing however. Stretching out her hand to save herself Mickie managed to bounce of the second step, landing virtually face down on the floor after she rolled away. Beth caught the look of fear and anger in Mickie's eyes as she got to her feet, trying to wipe away the dust from her jeans as she did so.

"What do you want with us?" Mickie demanded as Beth stood silently looking for John and Randy. One of the town's people walked forward. He was tall, had dark brown hair and bright blues eyes and a chiselled face. Under any other circumstances Beth would have considered him attractive, but right now she only felt revulsion as his eyes landed on her. Their eyes locked but for a split second and Beth was concerned by the lack of emotion that was held within those blue eyes.

"You came here; I think the question is what do you want with us?" He said now looking at Mickie and answering her question kind of, but it gave neither girl a good feeling about any of this.

"You take us from our car, separate us from our friends and you asking what we want from you?" Mickie said her anger rising and Beth wanted to place a hand of reassurance on her shoulder. She made no move to do so however as another man stepped forward and spoke to the first.

"You stole from us, why?" The dark haired man asked once again avoiding answering Mickie's question directly and the brunette humbled slightly.

"We needed the fuel we are trying to get to Salt Lake City, we have a mission to complete something very important." Mickie said hoping that their mission may appease these people. Although they seemed to be doing pretty well here. They all had pretty decent clothes, power at least a bit of it, and none of them appeared to be injured or starving.

"Mission, are you soldiers?" The man asked suddenly backing away slightly and Beth could see this going downhill very quickly. They were outnumbered and had no way of escaping now, not to mention the fact that they had no idea where Randy or John were.

"No we aren't, we are trying to expose what the military has done to this country, and we want to put an end to the tyranny." Beth said stepping forward slightly now and catching the man's eyes. Imploring him to believe her, he did not however look impressed with her statement.

"We have no use for your radical ideas here in Carpenter, we have managed to avoid the horrors of the outside world here and we intend to keep it that way." He replied as Beth shook her head looking around at the faces before her. Some looked angry, some frightened but all of them had distain for her and Mickie.

"Is that what the plague signs were for to keep people out?" Beth enquired as the doors at the front of the church were opened for a moment and a shard of light fell upon Beth. It blinded her for a moment of the arrival of John and Randy. Mickie's cries focused her eyes once more. Both men were being dragged along by two others, they were bleeding from several wounds and were very obviously unconscious.

"Yes, we do not like outsiders here." The man replied as Beth looked at him with cold eyes at what she had seen done to her friends. Mickie had tried to run towards Randy and John as they were dragged forward. She was caught by another of the town's men and held fast. Her arms pinned behind her back in what looked a painful manoeuvre.

"What have you done to them, we were not threat to you, we were about to leave." Mickie cried as Beth saw tears begin to pool in her friends' eyes. Clenching her fists at her sides Beth knew that this was not the time to be trying to fight her way out. Not only was she fairly certain of failure, but even if she managed to get herself out, there was no way she would be able to free Mickie and the others. Leaving them behind wasn't an option, either they were all getting g out of here, or none of them were.

"You would have told people about this place more would have come, now you must be cleansed of this knowledge." The dark haired man said, he had been the only one to say anything the entire time they had been inside the church. Beth thought he must be a leader in this community, the others seemed to listen to him. If Beth could just get him to listen to her then she might have a chance of saving them.

"What if we swear not to tell a soul, where we are going it is likely we will not come back anyway." Beth said hinting that the mission they were on was a dangerous one. Although this did seem to give the man pause, it was followed by a small satisfied smile.

"Even more reason for the cleansing, if you have no respect for death, it will have no respect for you." At the mention of the word death Beth did move, quickly and so suddenly that the men surrounding her were caught on the back foot. Evading their reaching hands she dodged passed the thong of people and made her way among the pews keeping out of their reach.

"Run Beth get out, get help!" Mickie yelled as Beth streaked along the side of the church now in open space she poured on the speed. Seeing the doors right in front of her Beth reached out to grab the handle. Only to find the door coming closer to her faster than she imagined. The hard wood connected with her face, causing her head to snap back with the impact. Beth fell to the floor with a thud as the person behind it looked around the corner and peered down at her prone figure.

"Bring them." The dark haired man ordered as Beth was lifted and carried towards the altar.

Upon waking Beth found herself strapped to a chair, she looked to her side and saw Randy, he was now awake and looking at her with a concerned face.

"You ok?" he whispered as Beth gave a small nod, her head hurt badly, but right now she couldn't concern herself with that. Turning her head slowly so the world wouldn't spin she spotted Mickie. Her head was hung low as she eyeballed the floor. Beth could see nothing of interest there and she wondered for a moment if she had been injured and was unconscious.

"Mickie" Beth hissed as the brunettes head shot up and looked at her friend, a smile rose on her face for a moment before falling off just as quickly.

"Maybe you should have stayed asleep." Mickie said as Beth looked around at the candles that now surrounded them all. John was on the far side of Mickie he too was now awake and was looking in Beth's direction.

"What's going on?" Beth enquired as John shook his head slightly and Randy's voice caught her attention.

"We're not sure we woke up like this, but they seem to be performing some kind of ritual, one of them had a long sharp instrument, I did not like the look of it." Randy said as figures now appeared out of the shadows. All their attention was now on the four men coming towards them. Three of them carried red candles, Beth wondered why they hadn't bothered with black robes and hoods, but the idea seemed strangely idiotic considering the circumstances. The man in the centre, the one Beth recognised from earlier held a long silver spike, it was obviously very sharp and it glinted in the candle light. As they came closer the dark haired man in the centre began speaking.

"Jetzt ist die Zeit für die Reinigung, um diese Menschen von ihrer Unruhen zu retten."

"Does anyone know what he is saying?" Mickie asked as Randy spoke up once more.

"It sounds like German, man I wish I had paid more attention in high school." The men were now gathered around them, each standing in front of one of the four people they had recently dragged from their car. Beth looked directly into the eyes of the man in front of her.

"He said, now is the time for the cleansing, to save these people from their unrest." Beth said and all eyes turned to her, she shrugged slightly as though her knowledge of the language was not the revelation it really was.

"Lindern Sie ihre Schmerzen, bringen sie zurück in das Licht. Befreien sie von ihrer Unruhen." The man intoned and Beth began to wonder if this wasn't some kind of Natzi cult, something that had sprung up from all this trouble in the world. Often religion and cults provided people with a comfort when the world around them offered them none.

"What did he say?" Randy hissed at Beth as the man walked up to Beth and looked down at her.

"He said relive their pain, bring them back into the light. Free them of their unrest." Her words ebbed away as the man brought the long spike towards her face, Beth lent back in an effort to get as far away from the instrument as possible.

"Nein, ich habe keine Unruhen. Keine Unruhen, ich nicht brauche, speichern. "Beth spat at the man in German, he stepped back a pace at her use of the language.

"Everyone needs saving, and now that especially applies to you and your friends." He said taking a step closer bending down to speak in her ear.

"Your future will only contain suffering." His words ran through her like a cold wind, she was not sure if he was actually predicting the future, or if he was just trying to scare her.

"Perhaps, but I would at least like to see that future." She whispered back as her hand now freed from her restraints grabbed the long spike and drove it up into the man's throat. He fell backwards clutching at the instrument half poking out of his flesh as blood ran down either side of his throat.. The other three men were too in shock to stop Beth from completely freeing herself from her restraints. She quickly untied Randy as the men ran to help their friend who was now lying on the floor gurgling in his own blood.

"Come on let's get out of here." Randy said as he freed Mickie who bolted out of the chair and stood well away from the dying man. It was now that the others realised that their prisoners were free. Standing up they faced them, but realising that they were the ones now outnumbered they backed down quickly.

"Come on before their friends come back." Randy said as they raced passed the men, none of them looking at the man on the floor, none of them needed to see any more death.

"Der Mann, der nur abgeschlossen ist, wenn der Teufel Arbeit ist der Mann mit echten Unruhen." Beth called back to the men who had just watched their friend die. None of them replied as the four of them ran out into the street back towards the car.

"What did you say to them?" Randy asked Beth as they ran across the road and dived into the truck. Randy started the engine as they all buckled in. none of them bothered moving the broken glass, that could wait until they got out of the reach of these people.

"I said. The man that is only complete when doing the devils work is the man with true unrest." Beth said as the truck made its way back up the bumpy road. Passing under the plague signs Beth gave them a final look as they headed off back into the darkness, but one that was growing lighter by the moment, and she was just grateful that she was here to see the sun rise again.

Told you it was going to have a mind of its own. Hope you enjoyed that chapter and you got the point of the German. Anyway feedback is encouraged and thank you for reading XxX.


	12. Highway robbery

I know it's been a while, I do hope this will be worth the wait.

Chapter 12: Highway robbery

The sun rose as they drove across the South Dakota countryside, its rays casting long shadows across the landscape. The trees that lined the road bare of their leaves looked so sad in their winter hibernation. Their bare branches reminding Mickie of death, death that had been, and death she was sure was to come. Her eyes fixed out the front windshield now as she wrapped her coat around her to stave off the cold wind blowing in through the broken window. She looked behind her briefly to a sleeping Randy. He and John had switched places about an hour ago; the in forced change came when Randy almost crashed them into one of the ugly bare trees on the side of the road. They had all been awake for over thirty hours now, but Randy had been driving for hours and it finally caught up with him.

Now as they drove on Mickie could also feel the claws of sleep grasp at her, only to be snatched away by another icy chill down the back of her neck. The car heater doing little to fight off the draft blowing across her face and down her neck, preventing her from falling asleep properly. John had not spoken since he started driving, he just pointed the car in the right direction and held a steady speed. His eyes never straying from the road. Mickie sighed as they passed yet another sign for a town. All of them were sure they didn't want to go down that route again, from now on they would be on their own. Even if that meant walking. Mickie rested her elbow on the windowsill and her head in her hand. Now the wind blew through her hair, it was crisp biting at her skin where it was exposed, but on some level it felt good. The feeling of the wind, the chill on her face, the feeling of her hair being swept away from her face as the car drove on. In one moment she was there in the car with her friends, the next she was fourteen again.

_It was Christmas Eve, she was having a snowball fight with her cousins up on their ranch. The wind was bitingly cold and the snow made her hands numb, but Mickie didn't care about that. The snowball that was now melting its way down her neck would have to be avenged. Gathering up a huge handful of snow Mickie fashioned it into a snowball and scanned the area for her cousins. Both boys and both older than her, she knew she was at a disadvantage. That had never stopped Mickie in the past. Hiding behind a tree, she bided her time, looking up at the bare branches the sunlight shone through them casting scattered shadows across the floor. Keeping perfectly still Mickie finally spotted her prey coming out of the bushes at the side of the garden. Smiling to herself Mickie waited until the pair was virtually on top of her before she launched her attack._

Opening her eyes Mickie brushed away the moisture that had landed on her cheek. Looking down at her gloved hand she saw the white snowflake that was sitting there. Looking up she pulled herself inside the car quickly and escaped the worst of the snow as it began falling all around them.

"Looks like we ran out of luck as far as the weather goes." John said making Mickie jump slightly as she wished not for the first time that day, that she had taken Beth up on the offer to sit in front.

"Maybe we should think about pulling over, I'm getting covered in snow, and the roads are going to get dangerous pretty quickly." Mickie suggested as she bushed the now flurry of snow off her shoulder and thigh.

"Yeah I think you're right, we should see if we can find something to patch that window with." John said looking in his rear view mirror and seeing lights. Casting a worried look in Mickie's direction he saw the brunette frown at him, realising that she could not see what he could he shook his head.

"I think we have company, want to wake up the pair hibernating in the back." John said as Mickie gave him a half smile before turning to look at Beth and Randy again. She felt loathed to wake them, at least they, if only for a moment could escape where they were and what they were doing. Knowing her reluctance could only last a moment Mickie reached behind her and shook Randy on the shoulder.

"What!" Randy shot up throwing Beth of him and simultaneously waking her to. The blonde looked none too pleased until she saw the snow.

"Wow where did that come from?" she asked now returning to full consciousness as Randy leant forward and had to turn his face away from the deluge of snow now coming in through the window.

"That's not our main worry, someone is on the road behind us." John said from the driver's seat, without looking back he knew that they were now both looking out of the rear window. It was hard to make out the headlights in the blizzard, but they were there, if only for a split second, john knew when they had seen them, as a collective intake a breath came from behind him.

"We need to get off this road and out of sight." Randy said the concern in his voice obvious, even to those who couldn't see his face.

"Right now there is nowhere to go, except into a field, and with the way this snow has been falling, I wouldn't bank on getting out again." John said eyeing the straight road in front of him. Not a sign for a turning in miles.

"Wait, we need what they have." Beth said placing a hand on John shoulder and John momentarily looked at her as she leant forward. Scanning the area in front of them.

"What do you mean?" Mickie asked wondering what the blonde was talking about for a moment.

"We need a car, let's be honest this one is not so great now, and I bet we are low on gas again. They have a car, probably with all its windows attached. We just need to figure out how to get it." Beth said and Mickie could see the smile Randy gave her. Mickie could tell he thought this was a good idea. Mickie often wondered if those two had been separated at birth, they always seemed to know what the other was thinking. Mickie herself felt like she was always playing catch up. This time however a thought came to mind, one she so recently had, she even wondered if it were just a coincidence.

"We stop, they are bound to come and investigate what we are up to, and then when they get out of the car, we get in it." Mickie said looking back over her shoulder and giving the pair behind her a grin either of them would have been proud of.

"You know that's just crazy enough to work." Randy said looking behind them again and noting that the vehicle whatever it was, had not made any ground on them. It was slow going however, as the snow was now pretty deep.

"Hey John find somewhere to pull over mate, then we get out and see if Mickie's plan works." Randy said as John slowed the truck until it rolled to a stop at the side of the road. They all knew it wouldn't be long now until they were found.

Mickie shivered in the snow as they all gathered around the truck. She rubbed her hands together and pressed her thighs together. She knew none of them would last long out here and she was now actually willing that other car to get here. Her wish was granted as the headlights became clearer in the haze of the snow now falling from the sky in earnest. It was a single army truck, slightly bigger than the one they were in; its tires had deep treads, obviously for ploughing through the snow as it made its way towards them. Randy stood slightly in front of the rest of them and waved his arms at the truck. They could all see it slow down as it approached them, its high windows prevented them seeing just how many soldiers were inside. Each of them made sure they had their guns as John placed his hand on his, just to check it had not slipped below his belt and was in easy reach.

As the truck rolled alongside them the window rolled down and a young man's face looked out.

"Howdy, you folks ok?" He asked, he seemed friendly enough and Mickie felt a slight pang of guilt at what they were about to do. It was at that moment the wind gusted and blew snow at her already frozen nose. Catching her breath, the coolness of the air hurt her lungs as she drew it in too fast.

"We could use a hand, we blew out a tire." Randy said moving to show them the blown right tire. Courtesy of John's pocket knife after they had all gotten out of the truck.

"You got a spare?" The young officer asked as another face appeared in the window.

"That looks nasty, what you run over a barbed wire fence." He said eyeing them all, he was older, and had a hard face. He had a days' worth of stubble growing on his chin that grew almost sporadically across his face.

"Not sure, all we heard was a bang, managed to ease it this far, then got out to inspect the damage. Saw you guys coming, and thought our luck was in." Randy said speaking as though what had come from his mouth was the gospel truth. Not some lie they had concocted in the last few minutes. It seemed to work however as the door opened.

"Well you got that spare, we can have you back on the road in no time." The younger man asked as he slipped from the passenger seat. His older friend followed him, he slipped his eyes over each of them, finally coming to rest on Mickie. His look made her shudder, but he obviously though it cause was the weather not him. As he winked at her and them turned his attention back to Randy.

"Yeah we got a spare in the trunk, but no Jack, typical army a, does everything half arsed." Randy said as he went around to the rear of their truck and held out the keys.

"You guys on leave or something then?" The older man asked stepping around the truck with Randy as Beth followed them and looked back over at John, who was inching closer to the soldier's vehicle.

"Umm yeah got a few days, didn't realise the weather was going to be so bad. We wouldn't have attempted to go away if we had known." Randy said popping the trunk and being immensely grateful that there was indeed a spare tire in there.

"Dirty weekend with the Mrs a." The solider said winking at Randy and pointing to Beth. Beth almost went to correct the soldiers assumption, until she realised it didn't matter, plus it was making them look genuine in his eyes.

"Something like that." Randy said glancing at Mickie who was keeping the younger man occupied while John moved to look inside the soldier's truck. He was perched on the second step peering in, hoping that they had left the keys in the ignition, they however were in no such luck. Giving Mickie a quick shake of the head as she caught his eye the brunette nodded quickly.

"Hands up" She shouted at the younger man who automatically did what he was told as soon as he saw the gun pointed at his head.

"Hey what's going on!" The older soldier said as he heard the shouting. He didn't need to ask as Randy turned his gun onto him also.

"I am afraid we need your truck." He said not a hint of irony in his voice as the older solider raised his hands slowly and looked at Beth behind him. She too had her gun trained on him and he seemed to realise that they were not fooling around.

"Alright, but why, you have a spare, we can fix it." He said a slight shake to his voice as Mickie and John marched the other man over to where Beth and Randy were standing. The two men lined up now in front of their battered truck. Both hand their hands on their heads, and were starting to shiver violently. Whether it was the cold, or the fear, none of them knew, and none of them were going to ask either.

"Keys!" John demanded waving his gun at them both as the older man put one of his hands down and reached inside his pocket. For a moment John thought he was going to pull out a gun, the image flashed through his mind, almost strong enough for him to pull the trigger on his own weapon. Just before he could do it however the jangle of keys could be heard as the solider pulled them from his pocket. Beth moved forward and snatched them from him, moving away from him quickly and gave him a flash of a smile.

"Thank you, we were having air conditioning problems with ours, I hope they don't bother you too much." Beth said turning and heading for the soldier's truck and climbing aboard. As the engine roared to life her shout for the others to join them could be heard over the sound.

"You can keep the jack." Randy said leaving the apparatus on the floor in front of the soldiers as they all made a dash for the open door of the truck. Piling in Mickie looked out of the window at the two men stood at the side of the road. Either too shocked or too scared to move, they watched as their truck drove off leaving them in the freezing snow. Mickie sat back in her seat, the warmth of the heater now starting to ease the chill that had settled into her bones. The feeling that they were leaving those men to freeze to death, did not help the shiver that racked her body once more. She had come such a long way from the little girl that hid in the shadows with a snow ball. Now she was far more dangerous and the road that had taken her to this place had been as long and as hard as any. More so than she could have ever imagined.

Hope you enjoyed, as ever reviews make me write faster so let me know what you think so far. More drama to come so please be patient with me and I will deliver as soon as possible. Thank you for reading XxX.


	13. The house that Jack built

A pretty speedy update from me, I hope to continue quicker with this story now, but don't hold me to it.

On with the show.

Chapter 13: The house that Jack built

John was attempting to sleep in the back of their nice warm new truck, his head was resting on the back head brace behind him, yet he could not get comfortable. The bouncing and humming of the truck was more soothing than distracting, but still sleep eluded him. John looked over towards Mickie, it seemed she had had little trouble in falling asleep. Her mouth hung open slightly as her head tilted backwards and rocked in motion with the truck. John envied Mickie, not only in her ability to sleep, but also at the peaceful look that grace her face while she did so. Giving up on trying sleeping John sat more upright and looked out in front of him. The snow was still falling, but it was with less ferocity than before. Beth was at the wheel taking the truck steadily but surely through the fallen white oasis before them. The road was no longer visible, the only way he could tell they were still upon it was the high rise banks on either side. Indicating either a fence or a hedge row marking the end of a field. The trees looked cumbersome covered in the icy white fluff that was still falling however slowly from the thick cloud covered sky. As they passed a particularly large tree that overhung the road, John eyed it suspiciously, wondering if its branches would give under the weight of the snow upon them. They passed however without incident and John released the breath he did not realise he had been holding.

"You ok back there?" Beth said over her shoulder, startling John from his day dreams and making him bristle slightly with his own embarrassment.

"Yeah fine sorry, just having visions of trees collapsing on us." He said in reply, realising that he and Beth were the only ones awake. John didn't want to disturb the others, sleep was precious, especially now.

"Don't you even think that John or it just might happen." Beth said looking at him in the rear view mirror and showing him the whites of her teeth. John gave her a small smile back of his own. More for her benefit than his. The perceptive blonde saw right through it though and she sent him a frown back.

"What's up John?" Beth asked not taking her eyes off the road this time as the truck lurched onwards.

"Nothing really just can't seem to get to sleep is all." He replied looking down at his hands that were clasped in his lap. He looked towards the window again and looked at the landscape before him. The world was ice white, the wind blowing already settled snow back into the air. John supressed a shiver at the thought of how it had felt to be standing out in that.

"You're thinking about the two men we left aren't you." Beth said once again surprising John and causing him to snap his head towards Beth.

"Maybe I guess, I was just thinking how cold it must be for them. I know we took their truck so we could get to where we need to be. Probably to save hundreds of people's lives, maybe even bring about a change to end our oppression." John stopped and sighed, looking up again catching Beth looking at him in the mirror once more he could see her sympathetic look in her eyes.

"John wrong thing done for the right reason. Still the wrong thing." Beth said and John nodded his head, he knew what she meant, they needed to do this, they maybe even had to do this, but it didn't make him feel any better about leaving those poor men to die.

"Maybe feeling this is a good thing, I guess if we stop feeling bad about the things we do wrong, we are no better than the people who release small pox into a community." Beth said as she turned the car and John looked out of the window. They had changed direction, now moving away from the highway the truck rolled onwards.

"We may find somewhere down here we can all get some rest." Beth said, knowing John would never ask for an explanation, but wanting to offer one anyway. The road was as thick in snow as the highway had been, and the truck seemed to cope with it just fine. Beth had her eye on the petrol gauge, almost watching it sink towards the empty line as she drove along. The snow was making in slow going and they had barely covered a hundred miles since they left Carpenter. Beth knew at this rate they would be out of gas just as they cross the border into Wyoming. Coming to the conclusion that waiting the storm out was a better idea she had spotted a road leading off the highway. Taking a punt and heading down it she found herself now in what looked like thick forest.

"Beth maybe we should stop here, we don't want to get stuck." John said now leaning forward and almost speaking into her ear.

"Ok maybe a little bit further, I think the road opens up ahead, I could at least turn around." Beth stated as John looked up and saw that there was indeed a clearing up ahead. As the truck bounced out into the open space Randy woke up with a jolt and blearily took in the world around him.

"Where in the blue hell are we?" He said rubbing his eyes hoping that he was dreaming.

"Umm I thought I work park up so we could all rest for the night, wait out the storm you know." Beth said a mild anger to her voice as she turned off the engine, she knew it would get pretty cold in the car with the heaters off, but they could not afford the gas.

"I have to say you couldn't have picked a better choice, however did you know it was here." Randy said and Beth was completely confused now as Randy looked passed her and put of the window.

"What's going on?" Mickie asked woken by the voices and the now silence of the engine. John looked at her with a slight shrug of his shoulders as Randy pointed to somewhere beyond Beth's left shoulder.

"That, don't tell me you didn't see it." Randy aske as they all now turned and saw the large house, it huge French windows on the ground floor flanked an overly large wooden door. All the curtains appeared to be closed, and they could see nothing beyond their darkness.

"My god, you can drive more often." John said as he took a quick look at Beth who was giving him an evil stare. Ignoring it John opened his door a slid out, shaking his hands and putting them in his pockets to stave off the cold he helped Mickie down and they stood side by side waiting for the others to join them. Once Beth and Randy had exited the truck, making sure it was locked up tight the four of them made their way towards the house. They had all been burnt often enough to be cautious. And however remote this place was, there could still be someone inside, life had taught them to be careful, and this time was no different.

Randy reached the door first, pushing it open with one hand the door gave a satisfying creek as it swung back on its hinges. It was a good sign that it was unlocked; it made the possibility of someone being here even more unlikely. Stepping through into the hallway Randy felt Beth's hand on his shoulder as he moved forwards. Pulling out his gun from under his waist band Randy held it hip high as he ventured forwards.

John was bringing up the rear, he too had pulled out his gun, but was also keeping a firm grasp of Mickie's hand with his own. The banging of the front door made them all jump, John span around pointing his gun in the direction of the wooden door, but no one was there.

"Must have been the wind." Beth said as John nodded his head, knowing that was probably it they were just all on edge. John spotted a light switch in the fading gloom and flicked it on, none to his surprise nothing happen. It was another good sign that no one was living here though and so they all continued forward.

Finding the kitchen they explored it for a while. The huge oak table in the centre was cover in dust, not even a finger print lingered in the heavy grey blanket that covered it, and only spider webs occupied the chairs surrounding it. Mickie moved over to the cupboards and pulled one open, her scream made everyone jump.

"Dam rat!" Mickie yelled as the huge brow creature disappeared through a hole behind a sugar pot that remained on the kitchen counter.

"You wanna not do that again, I nearly shot you." Randy said holding his hand to his cheat as his heart beat ferociously within.

"Sorry, I hate rats." Mickie said half apologising, half annoyed as she moved on to the next cabernet. John got there first this time and smiled down at her.

"Allow me, we don't want Randy to shoot you now do we." He said giving her a big smile as she stepped away.

"Be my guest, but if a huge spider crawls out of there don't expect me to save you." Mickie said knowing that John had a fear of spiders, though he would never admit that out loud. He gave her a small frown as he turned to the cupboard and pulled open the door. Nothing came out this time however and this cupboard was as bare as the last.

"I think we can safely say no one has lived here in quite a while." John said closing the cupboard and turning to his friends. They all nodded in agreement, all moving towards the door to inspect the rest of the house.

Moving into the living room Beth spotted a log burning fire and immediately went over to it. A modest pike of logs sat next to it. They looked a little old but still viable, but there was not enough to keep a fire going for long.

"We could light this if we could collect some more wood." Beth said holing up a log and placing it in the burner. Mickie went over to her and pulled her ever present back pack off her shoulder. Digging around she came up with a box of matches, pulling it open she scratched one against the boxes striking surface and it sprang to life. Placing the match under the pile of wood Beth had already arranged, the girls watched as they caught fire. A warm glow radiated from the burner and they all gathered around to feel its warmth.

"So I take it we will be spending the night then." Randy said with a small grin as Beth and Mickie nodded quickly. John patted Randy on the back and got his attention.

"Looks like me and you had better go out and find some more wood for that fire. No offence ladies, but this is man's work. You two can clean the house while we are gone." John's smirk was cut short when a cushion covered in dust stuck him on the side of the face. He coughed slightly and whipped away the dust that covered his cheek as he turned to look at a smug blonde as she folded her arms and dared him to try anything.

"Guess I deserved that." John said giving in and backing up towards the door. Randy went with him, shaking his head and trying to supress a smile.

"You never learn my man, never learn." Randy said as the pair of them left and Beth and Mickie were left alone in the living room.

"You want to see what's upstairs?" Mickie asked Beth like an excited school girl as Beth turned to her and smiled.

"No I don't think so, let's wait till the boys get back, it might be dangerous." Beth said with a seriousness that made Mickie's smile fall right off her face.

"Really?" Mickie questioned as Beth turned to her slowly.

"No." Beth said grinning at her friend as she made her way out of the living room and towards the stairway.

It had gotten progressively darker as the girls searched the upstairs rooms. They had found the bathroom, it was covered in mildew, and the bath tub looked particularly nasty. Both women agreeing that they could wait for a shower. Moving down the hall they had found two bedrooms, both of which were dusty but useable. The surprise came with the fourth room, it was a nursery, toys still laid out on the floor, like the child that had played with them had just been snatched up. Leaving the teddy bear's to enjoy their picnic alone. Mickie moved forwards and picked up one of the dusty bears. Flicking the dirt off it with the back of her hand she looked down into its glass eyes.

"Beth do you ever think about what we are missing out on, about what could have been if we hadn't ended up like we have." Mickie said as she watched the blonde go to the window and look out of it. The snow cast an eerie glow on the surrounding trees, and the moon light only served to intensify the glow. Beth spotted to boys a few hundred yards away. Lugging a sack of what she supposed was wood behind them. Turning back to Mickie and seeing her holding the bare in her arms Beth smiled softly at her friend.

"All the time, I go to sleep at night and think about what my life would be like if what happened hadn't happened." Beth said as Mickie petted the bear's hair and moved over to the crib. Running her hand along the smooth wood frame she looked down at the blanket that lay in the bottom of the crib. It was pale yellow, and so soft Mickie didn't ever think she had felt something as soft before.

"I do to, I wonder if I would have had a family, I wanted children you know, a husband, a house like this one, bug beautiful, and set out in the country where we could have kept horses." Mickie looked at Beth who was looking at her in slight shock. Mickie gave her a small smile.

"I guess I never told you about that particular dream. It was always about my career, wrestling getting ahead in a man's world. I thought I had all the time I needed to get married and have children. Look how wrong I was, about everything." Mickie said a lone tear coming to her eye as she quickly brushed it aside as Beth moved forward and placed a hand on Mickie's shoulder.

"You know there is still time for a family we haven't given up yet, and who knows what might be around the corner. We are doing this to change our lives too Mickie don't give up on your dreams. Because for now that's all we have." Beth said not letting go of the brunette as she tilted her head up and gave Beth a week smile.

"I won't, anyway there is always John or Randy, I am sure either of them would oblige if it meant they could get their leg over." Mickie smiled wickedly as Beth grinned back at her.

"Hey we have all had to make sacrifices you know, going without sex is not exactly on my high priority list, but it's a sacrifice none the less." Beth replied as they both made their way out of the nursery. Mickie placed the bear she had been holding back in his seat at the picnic blanket and closed the door behind them, just as John and Randy returned.

"Honey I'm home."

Salvation at last, a warm place to rest their heads at least for the night. Will this be a welcome break, or will it provide them with too much time to think. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and reviews are cherished I welcome feedback. Thank you for reading XxX


	14. At what cost?

Welcome back to my little story, strangely this chapter almost has a poetic justice to it, as I am also copped up in my house surrounded by snow, anyhow on with the chapter.

"_The world will not end in a blaze of fire, but a thick covering of everlasting snow." -Norse legends _

Chapter 14: At what cost?

The fire was roaring now as Randy poked it again with the brass fire poker that remained in the otherwise empty hook next to the fire surround. It crackled and popped in the silence of the room as the four occupants merely sat and enjoyed its warmth. There was little left to say between them, no one wanted to open up the can of worms about making it to Salt Lake City in one piece, nor did any of them want to discuss their food shortage. After they had thoroughly searched the house they had come up with nothing edible at all. Not even a can of beans had been left in the place, but considering the layers of dust that had covered everything. Randy suspected if they had found something, it would have been bio hazard by now.

Sitting in the arm chair facing the fire he was half dozing off when someone's stomach gave a resounding growl. Opening one eye so he could look around him, he noticed Beth's apologetic face, and he gave her a small smile. Obviously the source of the noise, Beth placed her hand on her stomach and muttered an apology, before turning slightly in her chair and attempting to get some sleep. The chairs in the living room were comfortable enough for sitting on, but were too small for really be a good place to sleep. Randy already had a crick in his neck from having to bend it sideways, and his butt kept going numb. Opening his eyes once more he saw John also attempting to get comfortable with what looked like the same amount of success.

The floor however was just as unappealing, wooden slates that were obviously installed, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for ease of cleaning, were hard and cold. The rug that sat adjacent to the fire was not only dirty, but also pretty moth eaten. Randy creased up his face at the thought of lying on it and he rolled on to one side in his chair. Relieving the pressure in his buttocks, but now leaning heavily on his arm. After what was only a few minutes his shoulder began to protest, getting up with a huff of breath Randy stretched out his aching muscles and shook out his legs to return the circulation. His movements had the undesired effect of waking the others.

"You ok Randy?" Mickie enquired as she sat more upright and watched as he worked his neck from side to side.

"Not really that chair is about as comfortable as a bed of nails." He stated as John to stood up and proceeded to copy Randy's actions of removing the stiffness from his body.

"Too right I am done with this; I don't care how cold it is up there I am going to sleep in a bed." John said pointing towards the ceiling and giving Randy a curt nod.

"I like these chairs, just right." Mickie said cuddling up in the seat, fitting her smaller body with ease into its frame.

"Yeah nice if you happen to be a munchkin." John said and Randy smiled at him, but the smile soon dropped off his face at Mickie's frown.

"Look if you two want to go find a better place to sleep, may I suggest you go together, not only will you be far warmer, but it would be safer." Beth suggested from her chair, as Randy had to turn his head to look at her. The disgust on his face evident as he looked down at the curled up blonde.

"I am not sharing a bed with him, I would rather become a human icicle." Randy said as John nodded next to him, obviously agreeing with Randy's statements. Beth sighed and uncurled herself from her chair. Placing her feet flat on the floor she stood up with some effort, and the cracking of her knees alerted Randy to the idea Beth had not been as comfortable as she had made out.

"Then perhaps we should all go, we could leave the door open, so the heat from the fire at least warms the house a bit." Beth suggested as Mickie groaned in her position on the chair. The brunette however begrudgingly stood up also and joined her friends.

"Fine, but if I freeze to death I want my headstone to clearly state that it was all your faults." Mickie said pointing at them and running her hand through her hair sleepily. They were all tired, not only had they been traveling for three days now, but they had missed a nights worth of sleep in Carpenter. Almost froze to death in their broken truck, and now been out collecting logs and cleaning the house. All with only minimal food inside them, at some point the leash was going to break, there was only so much someone could take before it all got too much.

None of them were there yet, but Randy suspected another two days or so and things would start to go downhill. Moving towards the door Randy pulled it open and a cold rush of air hit his fire warmed body. Shaking off the urge to shiver, he moved into the hallway and towards the stairs. Mickie did not seem to have such qualms about hiding her reactions to the freezing temperatures and she quickly voiced her opinion on the subject.

"My god a refrigerator would be warmer than this house." She stated as thy made their way up the stairs as Beth replied to Mickie's statement.

"That is quite possibly true, refrigerators are set at a temperature between four and six degrees, and it's probably closer to zero in here." Beth almost smirked at the look on Mickie's face as she spoke, but managed to hold it back as Randy opened the door to the master bedroom. Beth and Mickie had spent little time up here cleaning. They had put most of their efforts into getting the living room cleaned up, and so when Randy pulled back the covers and discovered a mildew smell emanating from them he stepped back.

"Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea." He stated as John walked back into the hallway and disappeared along the corridor.

"Now where do you suppose he is going?" Beth asked as she poked her head out of the door and saw John at the end of the hallway. He was only visible in shadow as the windows offered little light to see by. Beth realised that it must have started snowing again, as cloud cover now seemed to be blocking the brilliance of the moon bouncing off the snow. The almost pitch dark, and the now obvious sound of the flakes hitting the windows only paid testament to that.

"Bingo!" John shouted from the hallway and Beth jumped at the sudden noise. Grabbing on to the first thing she could find, she them made Randy jump in unison as her hands clamped down around his upper arm. Mickie smiled at the pair as they separated themselves quickly and pretended that the little moment had not in fact happened.

"What's up John?" Mickie asked as she watched him pull something from what must have been a cupboard and walk towards them.

"I found sheets and they smell fine." He said holding up the folded sheet and passing it to Mickie who placed her nose next to it and inhaled.

"Smells fine, now just take off the old one and we shall get this one on, and them bed, I could sleep for a week." Mickie stated as John and Randy removed the down comforter, which seemed to be fine and placed it on a nearby chair. Beth and Mickie them ripped off the sheet which did smell like at some point had gotten wet and Mickie threw it into the corner. Not caring how tidy she was being. After all no one lived here and they would be gone, probably by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. No one was going to care what the place looked like after that.

Having put on the new sheet all four of them squished into the bed. It was such close quarters that Mickie was practically lying on Randy, and although he was toasty warm, it was also slightly awkward.

"Four in the bed and the little one said." John began

"Roll over" Mickie finished which caused Randy to chuckle and make Mickie shake slightly next to him.

"Ouch watch it your elbows are sharp." John stated as Beth rolled over in the middle, catching John's shoulder with her elbow as she did so.

"Sorry I was trying to avoid poking you in the eye." She said wiggling in-between the two men and finding herself wedged into the gap. Chin on John's shoulder, and legs caught up with Randy Beth huffed again and tried to extract herself form her cocoon.

"This is ridiculous." She stated as she virtually popped out and sat back, the gap where she had been lying now full of Randy and John as they fell together. It was almost comical, part from the fact that her space had now disappeared and she was freezing.

"I think this is much better." Mickie stated having not realised that Beth had moved out of the bed and had provided the room for Mickie to spread out. The blonde huffed and climbed over the top of Mickie causing the brunette to fall sideways for a moment and almost out of the warm bed.

"Yeah for some, I am going to check out that other room; I might actually get some rest there." Beth stated as Randy sat up and watched her go. He looked from Mickie to John and back again and sighed.

"Why me?" he asked throwing his hands up in the air and shaking his head. It was nice and warm in the bed, but Randy could feel by the coolness of his nose and face, that outside was not as warm.

"Because if she gets angry, you are the one she is least likely to cause permanent damage to." John said with a small smile as Randy reluctantly climbed out of the bed. Leaving Mickie and John all the room they needed to spread out and get comfortable. Randy looked back at them and for a moment contemplated ripping the duvet off and running away with it. The effort however seemed too much for the reward of seeing their faces. Plus he really should go and check on Beth, he had not heard anything from her since she left the room, and the house was eerily silent.

Moving into the hallway Randy looked out the window and saw the snow falling heavily outside, he frowned momentarily before heading off towards the second bedroom. The door to it was closed, and thinking that perhaps Beth had already settled in for the night he opened it cautiously. The strip of light that fell across the bed made it obvious however that Beth was not occupying it. The frown returned to Randy's face as he left the door opened and turned back into the hallway. There was one more room before the end of the corridor and Randy moved towards it. Looking inside he found the nursery that Mickie had spoken of earlier. It too stood empty, and now Randy was starting to get worried. Turning quickly Randy ignored the cold and headed down the stairway, knowing that it was the only place Beth could have gone. Going immediately to the living room, Randy found that to empty, and the frown that had graced his face since his search began turned into a look of concern.

His heart began to beat fast in his chest, the panic that gripped him was for now greater than the worry he should be feeling. His logical side told him that Beth was probably in the kitchen, or even in the dining room. Probably calming herself down, and thinking about the situation. It was something that Beth did often. Her quick temper and impulsiveness had gotten her into trouble in the past, she had learnt to deal with it, by removing herself from the situation and organising her thoughts. Randy had once found her sitting on a park bench in the middle of the night one summers evening. Muttering to herself about how unfair life was. He had told her off for wondering off, but the sad look on her face when he spoke had made him back down almost instantly.

Randy remembered that evening now as though it had been yesterday, as he wondered in to the hallway listening for clues as to where Beth might have gone.

"_You have to be careful about wandering off Beth, you know how dangerous it can be out here alone." Randy had said once he found the blonde sat on a park bench, it had been a pretty dark time for them. They had been robbed several times in the past month, including Beth's stabbing, their moral had taken a huge hit and autumn was fast approaching on the horizon. She sat now with a cigarette clamped between her fingers as she blew smoke out from between her lips._

"_Since when did you start smoking?" Randy enquired as Beth looked up at him with sad eyes as he sat down beside her._

"_Not long, it helps calm me down." Beth stated pitching the spent butt and placing her hands in her lap._

"_Those things will kill you eventually you know." Randy said afraid that his friend was falling into a slump that he should quickly get her out of. All they really had out here was each other, and to lose sight of that now would not be a good thing for any of them._

"_Maybe I kill myself slowly, because I don't have the courage to do it quickly." Beth stated shocking Randy to the core as he watched her face palm into her hands. Reaching out and stoking her back randy felt the heat through her blouse and wondered if she was ok. Her leg was just beginning to heal, and although she still walked with a limp Randy had assumed she was getting better. The heat of her flesh suggested a fever and he grew suddenly worried._

"_Beth are you ok, I mean do you feel alright?" Randy enquired as the blonde turned to look up at him and finally offered him a small smile._

"_No, but I will be." She had said before standing up and offering Randy her hand so he could do the same. _

The incident had never been mentioned again, things had picked up for the foursome as they learnt how to survive in the dog eat dog world. Randy had also never seen Beth smoke again. As the thought hit him Randy turned for the kitchen. Moving through the darkened room he placed his hand on the door knob and opened the door that lead into the garden. The smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air and Randy turned his head to see Beth sat on the swing seat. Her coat wrapped around her to fend off the cold and her legs crossed foot swinging with the movement of the seat below her.

"Beth what on earth are you doing?" Randy said as he came up to her and sat down on the swing.

"Nothing, just watching the world I guess, don't worry I am not suicidal, I guess this was for old times' sake." Beth said indicating to the half smoked cigarette which she pitched into the snow.

"I have to say it is not as good as it used to be." She said with a slight cough as Randy smiled as Beth leant back in her seat.

"What chance do you think we have of reaching Salt Lake City Randy, because I have to say it's not looking good." Beth said then her breath coming out of her mouth in thick clouds as she spoke. Randy wrapped his arms around himself to fend off the cold as a shiver ran through him.

"I think we will make it, maybe later than we intended, but we will get there." He said as Beth stood up and blew onto her hands.

"Come on its freezing out here." She said simply pulling him back inside and Randy went willingly. Moving up the stairs they could here soft snoring coming from the bed room and Randy indicated to the other door he had left open. A small nod from Beth was all he needed to proceed into it, moving through the darkness until they were both inside. Pulling back the covers Randy was happy that there was no smell coming from this bed. It was smaller than the master one, but perfectly adequate for two. Stripping off their outer layer of clothing Randy and Beth climbed in quickly, the cold sheets making them shudder for a moment.

Beth rolled over so that she was now facing Randy. His eyes mere inches from hers in the relative darkness of the room.

"At what cost do we get there Randy?" Beth stated making a random reference to their earlier conversation as Randy sighed and pulled the duvet higher over his shoulders.

"I guess nothing, unless we all die, which is not going to happen." Randy said quickly hearing Beth's stomach rumble again though was like a timely reminder of just how likely it was that none of them would in fact make it.

"Tomorrow we find food." He said feeling a shiver run through Beth as her body shook slightly under the blankets. Randy didn't think twice before pulling her in close to him and wrapping his arms around her frail body. It sadden him to think she was once so strong so powerful, and now was a shadow of her former self. It had done little to dampen her sprit though, and Randy knew if anyone could make this journey it would be them. Feeling Beth relax next to him Randy allowed his body to slip into unconsciousness, his thoughts about what would happen when they woke in the morning, and beyond that.

The snow continued to fall outside, now unnoticed by the sleeping occupants inside the house. The world was covered in a white unyielding blanket that covered everything in sight. The quite of the outside world was almost total, animals and birds hidden away from the icy fingers of the snow. For now none of them realised that the battle for survival had only just begun.

So what's to happen next? I guess you will have to for now wait to find out. Big thank you to all those who have reviewed so far you are an inspiration believe me, Thank you for reading XxX


	15. Out in the cold

Sorry for the delay I have been bogged down in nominations, anyway that's all done for now so on with the story.

Chapter 15: Out in the cold

The night drifted onwards, the dawn breaking unnoticed and unannounced as the birds hid from the still falling snow. The sun barely peeking out from behind the dense clouds that still covered the sky, now a sallow grey instead of deep unyielding black. Inside the house was quiet and still, as Mickie rolled over in the nice warm bed and planted her nose on John's warm chest. The hairs that now resided there tickled her nose slightly and she couldn't help the sneeze that rose within her. John jumped at the sound and looked down at the mass of brown hair that was covering his chest. He smiled slightly.

"Bless you." He greeted as Mickie lifted her chin slightly and returned his smile. Trying once again to burry herself in John's warmth.

"It's freezing, and I need to pee." She moaned into his chest as John chuckled and patted her on the shoulder.

"Well I can't help you with that I am afraid." He said as Mickie let out a long sigh, the pressure in her bladder was almost unbearable now and she knew she had no option but to brave the cold. Making the decision and getting out of bed quickly Mickie ran down the hall way and into the bathroom. Reliving herself she didn't bother to flush, knowing there would be no water. They were all so accustomed to living like this it wasn't even a thought any more. Mickie stopped to think briefly on how they had all just accepted it, how easy it was just to make the best of what you had. Shivering on the cold floor Mickie abandoned her thoughts and dashed back for bed.

Getting there she saw that John was still awake he turned his eyes up to her and smiled as she jumped back into the heated warmth and cuddled back up with John. The steady beating of his heart and his arms wrapped comfortingly around her made Mickie sigh with contentment. This was how she envisioned her Sunday mornings, waking up next to a man she loved, able to just lie together and watch as the sun rose. Not a care in the world and no decision to make accept what to have for breakfast. Her illusion could only last so long. She did love John, but she loved Randy and Beth as well, it was a special kind of love, not like the one in her dreams. The sun was shadowed by the clouds and the decision was not what they were having for breakfast, but if they were having it at all.

"John do you think we will ever be able to have a normal life again?" Mickie asked and John moved slightly so he could see her better.

"I don't know, I would like to think we could have something more than this, not that this isn't nice." John said pulling her close and smiling at her. It was a particularly charming smile and just for a second Mickie was back in her dream.

"I wanted to change the world you know when I was little. I had such big dreams." Mickie said placing her hand on John's upper arm and tracing her finger along his skin. It was slightly bumpy from goose flesh and Mickie wondered if it was because he was cold or something else.

"Dreams change as we get older, goals and aspirations modify with our lives. I think you did pretty well for yourself." John said allowing Mickie to touch him, it wasn't often they got this chance to just be people again, to enjoy one another's company he didn't want to let this moment end to soon.

"But now John what aspirations do we have now? Maybe the chance to change the world, but at such a high price. We have given our lives for this, a chance of a family, love and everything we had before. A high price to be sure, one I am not sure I am willing to pay." Mickie could feel the confession seep out of her, it was something she had tried to tell Beth yesterday but she could not find the words. Here in this cocoon of warmth, where not only the cold but the world was kept at bay she could hold on to them no more. John was shocked by the confession, he always knew out of all of them Mickie was the one who missed her old life the most. It was something they never discussed, memories too painful to relive, knowing they could never go back.

"I am not sure you mean that Mickie, I know you want to help people you are a good person with a heart of gold, what we are doing may not be worth our lives, but I think it probably will be. As for love and a family, there will still be time for that I know it. You may not have to look too far to find either." John said feeling bold in the moment as they lay there together and Mickie lay silent for a moment. Working out what he had said in her head. At that moment John wished he could read minds. Just waiting for her to speak was excruciating. They just never spoke about this it was a taboo subject, and it was easier to ignore the attraction than confront it.

The moment was broken by the sounds of Randy and Beth getting up, arguing as usual about what they were going to do, and it brought a smile top Mickie's face.

"Come on, there's trouble in the sand box." John laughed at Mickie's analogy and pulled himself up out of bed. Allowing his statement to go unanswered for now, but he was going to find a time when he could talk to Mickie and get some answers.

"Randy why do you always have to take control, you have to listen to someone else sometimes you know. On occasion you have been known to be wrong." Beth said as she followed Randy down the stairs and into the living room where the fire had inevitably gone out.

"Look I know you mean well, but if we all go out there, no one will be here to keep the fire going, or be back up in case we get lost." Randy replied as he picked up the matches from the hath and lit the fire once more. He stood up and turned to look at Beth who was standing with her arms folded and a face like thunder.

"Four people are better than two, and this has nothing to do with back up, it's because we are women and you don't want us out there. I understand it's a natural thing for you guys to think, but Mickie and I can look after ourselves, I thought that would be abundantly clear by now." Beth said trying to contain her anger. They had woken up that morning and Randy had announced that he and John would go out and look for food, and that she and Mickie were to remain in the house. Beth knew he was only trying to protect them, but it didn't make good sense.

"It's not about you being a woman at all, what if one of us gets injured and you are off somewhere and can't get back." Randy said but he knew it was a weak argument and that this conversation was all but over.

"Randy, there is four feet of snow outside; we can perhaps take an hour out there at a time before we freeze to death. We have a better chance of finding food if all of us go out, and Randy we need to eat and soon or this conversation will be a moot point anyway." Beth said as they heard movement on the stairs and could tell John and Mickie were on their way.

"Fine, but could we at least go in shifts so we can keep the fire going." Randy said and Beth gave him a curt nod.

"Fine Mickie and I will go first." Beth said as John followed by Mickie entered the room, immediately coming to stand by the fire and warm up.

"Will go first what?" Mickie asked as Beth gave her a quick smile and looked over at a sulking Randy and then back to her friend.

"Go out to look for something to eat, I don't know about you but I am starving." Beth said as Mickie placed her hand on her stomach as it gave a growl at the thought of food.

"I think you have your answer, I am ready to go whenever you are." Mickie said as Beth grabbed her coat from the chair she had left it on last night.

"No time like the present, I think it's finally stopped snowing, looks like it's going to be a nice day."

Randy and John gathered up fresh snow from outside and placed it in a large pan. Hanging the pan over the fire they sat there and watched it melt. Adding more snow as the pan now filled with drinkable water.

"At least we don't have to worry about dying of thirst." John said trying to keep the mood light as Randy sat in silence and stirred the water. His expression was dark and reserved, John knew Randy was worried, John was worried himself, but he knew brooding over it wouldn't change anything.

"No I guess starvation does take longer than dehydration to kill you, by us some time at least." Randy said making John frown. Stepping closer to Randy he placed his hand on the spoon and stopped Randy's constant motion.

"Way to look on the bright side, I know you're worried and so am I, but thinking like that isn't going to make this any easier. You know Mickie told me something today, she said she didn't know if she wanted to give up the possibility of having a family, finding love and you know what I don't think I am either." John said as Randy finally looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"So what you want to remain here and play happy families. Did you sleep with her John?" Randy asked with slight anger and John wondered what right Randy had first asking that question and second why he should be angry about it.

"For your information no I didn't, but if I had what business is it of yours, unless you had ideas of that nature." John replied with his own anger and Randy stood up.

"First of all Mickie and I are friends have been for a long time, second it's my business because I started all of this, I got us stranded out here and I don't need you quitting on me now to play happy families." Randy said walking off and moving towards the kitchen. John understood Randy's mood now, plain old guilt was the cause of his friend's angst and John calmed himself down.

"Randy wait, look this isn't your fault, you couldn't predict the weather, or whatever the hell happened in that town, but you can't deny it has changed things slightly, we may have to stay here for a while. Until the weather clears at least, we could even settle here if we fund a good sauce of food. Set out traps to catch animal etcetera, would that be so terrible?" John asked as Randy pulled down several cups from the cupboard. He was silent for a moment and John wondered if Randy was going to real off a list of reasons why they should leave as soon as possible.

"Settling down seems like giving up, I want to have those things to, a family a home, but while the world is like it is what kind of life would we be able to offer a child. That's why we decided long ago to leave it alone. To get by as best we can. But there is a big difference between getting by and living, and if I ever do have a child I want it to be able to live, where nothing and no one will stand in their way of their dreams. Are you in love with her?" Randy said surprising John with his sudden change in subject and the former superstar stood there and merely looked at Randy with a sad expression.

"I think I have for a long time."

Beth trudged through the snow, it was making her jeans wet and her boots heavy, but she wasn't going to complain. Mickie had been unusually quiet, the petite woman was usually full of conversation, but today the silence lingered and Beth felt no need to fill it. Coming across what looked like a rabbit fallen in the snow Beth paused and pointed at it.

"Still alive, must have been caught out here." She whispered to Mickie as she joined Beth at her side.

"Oh no that's horrible, Beth you're not going thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" Mickie said looking at the blonde who nodded. Getting out her knife she crept up on the rabbit slowly. It was gasping for breath and virtually frozen in the snow.

"It's dying anyway would be the kindest thing, and we do have to eat." Beth said bending down and quickly killing the rabbit. It wasn't pleasant and Beth felt sick to her stomach as she felt the blade go in, but she knew it had to be done. Picking up the rabbit and some snow she packed it into the bag they had brought. Looking at Mickie she could see the woman was slightly green and Beth grew worried.

"Mickie are you ok?" Beth asked placing a hand on her friends shoulder and forcing Mickie to look at her.

"Yeah I'm ok; it's just so horrible to have come to this." Mickie said walking on once more back towards the house. They had been gone just under an hour and it was a good walk back from here. Mickie knew the boys would be worried, and she was starting to lose feeling in her fingers.

"Ok, but if there is anything you want to talk about you know I am always here." Beth said following Mickie but keeping her eyes peeled for any other source of food.

"I said something to John today, something I perhaps shouldn't have said." Mickie replied and Beth stopped. Standing in the snow bag dangling from her hand.

"Tell me." Beth encouraged as Mickie also stopped and looked back at the blonde.

"I said I didn't want to give up on finding love, that this quest whatever it is, is not worth that." Mickie replied not wanting to get into in detail out here in the frozen snow.

"What did he say?" Beth said not wanting to make comment on what Mickie said just yet.

"He said he didn't want to either." Mickie replied and then walked forward once more, only to feel a hand clamp on her shoulder and she was brought to a halt.

"Mickie I know there is something you are not telling me, please talk to me." Beth said holding of a shiver as a cold wind blew across the forest and whipped her hair away from her face. Mickie ducked her head at the icy chill and looked down at her shoes.

"He said I might not have to look too far to find that love. It shocked me Beth, I know John and I have had chemistry, and even before all of this happened I thought there might be something. But now I can't, I can't love him it's not the right time. It would be too complicated." Mickie said realising she was just making up excuses as Beth squeezed her shoulder slightly and made Mickie look at her.

"The first man I ever loved was my father, he would carry me when the ground was muddy, read to me, and sing me songs when I couldn't sleep. What I wouldn't give to hear those songs again, to feel his strong arms holding me close and making me feel safe loved. If you feel those things from John Cena accept them, accept the love." Beth said as a tear rolled down Mickie's face as they stood there half frozen in the snow, their future so uncertain, even to plan for the next day was difficult.

Mickie looked towards the house which was just within view on the edge of the forest as the door opened up and out stepped the boys.

"Come on we better go, looks like the cavalry have come out to look for us." Mickie said avoiding the conversation as Randy yelled to them asking if they were ok and Beth had no choice but to reply as they both made their way forwards once more.

That's all for now folks, more to come soon I hope. Thank you for reading XxX


	16. To stay or not to stay

I know it's been ages, I deserve the harshest punishment, but for now at least here is an update, please enjoy.

Chapter 16: To stay or not to stay

With Beth's words still ringing in Mickie's ears the brunette entered the house and followed Beth and Randy into the living room, whilst John closed the door behind them, shutting out the worst of the cold. The house now blissfully warm from the fire the boys had built up warmed Mickie's face and hands, where the wind had bitten at her exposed skin. Beth and Randy were talking about their catch, but Mickie wasn't really paying attention to the conversation.

"You managed to catch a rabbit; well at least we know there is some food out there." Randy was saying as he looked inside the bag as Beth unwrapped herself from her bundles of clothing. Mickie proceeded to do the same as John came to stand next to her. Mickie for the moment avoided looking at him as the pair closest to the fire continued their discussion.

"Caught maybe a bit of an overstatement. Mother Nature had done most of the work, I simply finished the job." Beth replied as she warmed her hands on the fire as Randy closed the bag and looked at her. Mickie could tell something was coming, something she suspected they may not like very much.

"John has an idea about staying for a while, I think we should consider it." Randy said as Beth froze and Mickie finally looked at John. She found him already looking at her as all four of them stood in silence for a moment.

"Stay, I can't even believe you of all people would even be suggesting this. Randy I thought this journey was all about saving the people they have locked up in those work camps. Stopping them from spreading disease and killing off the rest of us in the meantime. Not to play happy families out in the middle of nowhere." Beth ranted as Mickie cringed slightly, she herself did not mind the idea of staying here a while. If this trip had done nothing else it seemed to have put things into perspective for her.

"I know and at first I was opposed to it, but look we aren't going to get far in this weather, even if the truck can get through the snow we will have to go so slowly we would be lucky to get a hundred miles before the fuel ran out. Then what we are in the middle of nowhere without food or shelter, I want to go on as much as the next person, but we have to face facts, right now there is nowhere to go." Randy said placing his hand on Beth's shoulder as the blonde looked down at her feet for a moment and gave a sigh.

"There is nothing to eat out there Randy, no bushes, no shrubs; the place is a frozen waste land. We got lucky today that's all but what about tomorrow." Beth said and Mickie had to admit the woman had a point. Mickie tapped John on the shoulder to get his attention as Beth and Randy looked at each other, having come to somewhat of an impasse.

"Do you think we should take a vote?" Mickie whispered to John as he moved towards her slightly so he could hear her better. His sent swept around her as he did so, it was a masculine sent that always made Mickie slightly light headed, but this time she ignored it. There were far more pressing issues right now, more so than her over active hormones.

"I'm not sure; I think we should all think about this carefully." John whispered back as Beth spoke up finally getting everyone's attention.

"I will make you a deal, you and John go out and see what food you can find. You manage to locate a decent food sauce and we will stay. If not I suggest we take our chances on the road, at least that way we will at least have a chance of finding somewhere better." Beth said and all had to agree it was a reasonable request. Beth was nobody's fool, she knew that continuing on in these conditions could be suicide. But she also knew that saying in a house with limited supplies was exactly the same.

"Fine why don't you two get that rabbit cooking, I am sure when we get back we will be ready for something to eat." Randy said giving Beth a look which conveyed a thousand emotions. It was times like this that Beth wondered if she and Randy had been separated at birth. She remembered Mickie saying something similar to her once and it drew a small smile from her lips. She saw Randy give her a grin back of his own as he picked up his coat and threw it on. Beth watched as John did the same and headed out of the door. Mickie had not moved from her spot in the centre of the room and Beth was beginning to worry about her.

Choosing for now to ignore it, not knowing what their future would entail at this point, Beth had little advice to offer her friend. Tapping Mickie on the shoulder to get her attention Beth held up the bag and pointed towards the kitchen.

"I suppose we had better get dinner ready. I will make you a deal; I will clean it, if you cook it." Beth said wrinkling her nose up at the idea, but never the less she knew it had to be done.

"Deal I suppose, I do hope they will be ok." Mickie said as she followed Beth into the kitchen and the blonde fished the rabbit out from the cold snow she had packed it in. Mickie did not envy the job of having to de-fur it, but right now it was a good distraction from thinking about how the boys were getting on.

Randy and John had been hunting for food for what seemed like hours, and however much it pained him Randy had to admit Beth was right. He had fallen in love with the notion of settling down for a while. Living in a house, not having to run from the military every night, and avoid other street dwellers often baring weapons. He supposed it was only natural to want that, to at least attempt to get back to some semblance of normality. The reality was however far more bleak. Even John was starting to look disheartened as they trudged on back though the snow towards the house. His cheeks were almost blue with the chill of the wind on his face, and he had his hands buried in is jacket.

"Beth was right there is nothing to eat out here, and we can't do this every day, we are bound to end up with pneumonia or something worse." John said as they slid down a small embankment and continued onwards.

"I know, and you know what I was just starting to get used to the idea of staying. It does seem a shame to leave such a nice house." Randy said as he felt his foot snag on something, too late to correct his balance in the tick slippery snow Randy felt himself plummeting earthwards and he held out his hands to stop the fall.

"Shit!" he exclaimed as he got a mouthful of snow and began spitting out the taste of it. Looking up he saw John shaking, going slightly red as Randy stood up and brushed snow from his clothes. He was now wet and cold and no longer in the mood for hunting.

"Ok go on laugh it up." Randy said as John virtually erupted with laughter, the sound echoing through the silent forest as Randy whipped the snow from his lips and failed to see the joke.

"Sorry, but the look on your face." John said between gasps of air as Randy dangled his arms away from his dripping wet body and scowled at John.

"I will remember this the next time you fall on your face." Randy said trying not to be too angry with John's reaction, it probably was pretty funny from where he had been standing. It didn't make it any less uncomfortable for Randy though who now only wanted to divest himself of his wet things.

"Come on let's get back before I catch my death out here." Randy said which sobered John up somewhat, knowing there was indeed a real danger of freezing to death in these conditions, and being wet would only accelerate that possibility.

Moving quickly through the forest now John and Randy moved across a fallen log and approached the boundary of the forest. John stopped suddenly, holding out his hand for Randy to do the same. Pointing into the distance it didn't take Randy long to spot the deer foraging in the snow for any grass or plant that still lived below it.

"Great, but how are we going to kill it?" Randy said as John pulled out his gun and Randy nodded quickly. Keeping as still as they could the deer shot its head up, but looked in the opposite direction of the pair now waiting just inside the forest.

"You're only going to get one shot at this, do you want me to have a go." Randy whispered as the deer settled it head down again. Poring at the ground to expose the grass beneath, it had moved a few paces closer to where the two men were waiting. It was now a hundred feet from them, but they both knew they would have to kill it on the first shot or it would run off into the bushes.

"No its ok I think I can do it." John said aiming the gun now, one eye shut he looked though the small sight on the tip of the gun and adjusted his line slightly. The bag of the gun rang throughout the forest, the wind carrying the sound for what felt like miles as Randy watched the deer keel over on to its knees, and then tipped over on its side. It sent powdery snow up into the air for a moment before the forest stilled once more and John placed his gun back in his pocket.

"Looks like we will be staying the night at least." He said to Randy as they both moved out from behind the tree and went to collect their kill.

When the boys returned Beth was shocked with what they had brought with them. The deer was fairly large, it was the size of a small pony, and would go far further than the rabbit they had now cooked. Split between four of them, the rabbit was no more than a morsel each. This would last them a few days. For the first time they were all grateful for the snow. It would do the job of keeping the deer fresh so they didn't have to eat it all at once.

Pulling it into the pantry to keep it away from any predators in the area, they then shovelled snow all around it and closed the door. Going into the living room where Mickie had placed their ration of rabbit and a few cheese crackers she had found in her trusty back pack on four separate plates. They all sat and ate in silence at first. No one knowing what to say for a while as they all made a dent in the hunger that had plagued them for over twenty four hours.

"You were right." Randy finally said pushing his now empty plate away as Beth looked up at him over her last cracker and blinked slowly. She said nothing though, allowing Randy to continue at his own leisure.

"There is nothing to eat out there, we got very lucky with the deer. It could have easily gone the other way." He said knowing that Beth would never dare say she told them so, she was not that kind of person.

"Well at least we can wait a few days now and see if some of the snow clears." Beth replied as she to finished her meal and placed her plate on the floor next to her.

"We could still go out every day; if we catch nothing at least we have supplies now. The longer we can give the weather to clear up the better." John said as Beth nodded at him, no matter how much she wanted to get on with their journey, she had to at least concede that point.

"Sounds like a plan." She replied looking out the window at the night sky, it was not like last night, tonight the stars were out in force, the moonlight shining brightly down on the reflective snow. It was going to be cold, but at least for now no more snow was falling. The exertions of the day seemed to catch up with her at that moment. A yawn came over her and she was powerless to stop it. The lack of sleep she had gotten last night, combined with the heat of the fire was making her drowsy beyond reason.

"I think I am going to head off to bed, I am bushed." Beth said standing up and supressing the urge to yawn once more. She looked down at Randy who had made no effort to move and she coughed slightly. She wanted to give Mickie and John some time alone together, she knew they had things to talk about.

Randy looked up at her with slight confusion on his face, but reading her expression he stood up and joined her quickly.

"Umm yeah me too, plus I know you won't be able to sleep without me there to keep away the monsters." Randy smirked and Beth could only shake her head at Randy's ability to turn everything into some kind of innuendo.

"Night children." Randy said with a small shiver now he had moved away from the fire and only caught the slight scowl that formed on John's face as he left the room. Following Beth up the stairs Randy was feeling the temperature change. Going into their bedroom Beth turned to him and obviously saw his shivering.

"Are you ok Randy?" She asked pulling back the sheets and removing her jumper.

"Yeah just a bit cold, nothing a warm bed and snuggling won't cure." Randy wiggled his eyebrows slightly and Beth merely rolled her eyes and climbed into the bed. Randy didn't hesitate in following her. Pressing his cool skin up against Beth as she yelped at his cold hands.

"Hey watch it." She said moving so that he was now not so close to her and Randy pouted slightly at her as she turned to look at him.

"Just warm your hands up ok." Beth said as Randy rubbed his hands together and blew on them to infuse some heat. Having managed to warm them up sufficiently, but still feeling chilled even under the covers he pulled Beth close to him once more and buried his face into her neck. The blonde made no protest this time, and Randy suspected that she had already fallen asleep.

There we go, so what will Mickie and John talk about now that they are alone, and is the lack of anything to eat going to force them back on to the road to soon? Thank you for reading XxX


	17. The ties that bind

Thank you for all the reviews I am glad you are all still enjoying this little story.

Chapter 17:The ties that bind

John sat and simply stared at the fire for a moment, he did not know what to say to the woman sitting with him. He had known Mickie for nearly a decade and yet words seemed to fail him now. That wasn't precisely the truth however, John knew he could easily carry on a conversation about anything and everything that was apart from the one thing he really wanted to talk about. Inspecting the dirt under his fingernails John soon realised that the silence was just as awkward as any conversation they could be having.

"Do you think we will be out of here soon?" John asked turning to Mickie to see her gaze directed towards him already. He wondered just how long she had been looking at him, but without coming out and asking her there was no way of knowing. John had no intention of starting that particular line of conversation.

"Probably, unless the snow gets worse." Mickie responded, her voice was monotone, her delivery of the words suggested that she didn't really care either way. John supposed it was a pretty lame topic of conversation. Turning himself now so that he was facing Mickie in the high backed chair John noticed that she seemed somewhat distracted, and that his previous idea that she had been staring at him was not entirely correct. Mickie was in fact staring in his direction, not looking at him at all but almost through him as though he wasn't there.

"Are you ok Mickie?" John asked genuine concern etching his voice and Mickie blinked slowly at the sound of her name. Her vision coming back into focus as she now looked at John and offered him a week smile.

"Yeah just tired I guess, it's been a long day." She said but John didn't believe a word of it. It was a standard reply, something that was simply an easy option, John was sick of taking the easy option.

"It's funny, we risk our lives just to keep ourselves alive for one more day. We would die for each other, go to the end of the earth and back again, and yet we can't talk to each other. Look at Randy he has never spoken about killing that man, he simply shut down. Beth holds in all her anger, I pretend everything will be alright in the end, and you, you carry guilt around like it is a physical weight on your shoulders." John's words made Mickie raise her eye line once more, her gaze now setting on John's. The slight twitch in her lip gave John the impression she wanted to make some kind of denial, but hesitating because she knew she could come up with no good argument against what he had said.

"Maybe if we talked to each other more we wouldn't find this so hard." John said now reaching out and offering Mickie his hand. It was a simple gesture, but almost prosaic in its nature, it wasn't just about physical contact to offer support, but the start of something else. It was that which Mickie was suddenly afraid of. Taking John's hand briefly she gave it a squeeze then retracted it, she could see the look of disappointment in John's eyes, but he said nothing.

"They're something you just can't fix by talking." Mickie said standing up and going over to the fire, holding her hands out palms down to warm them as she stood with her back to John. She could sense that he was looking at her, no more like boring holes into her back with his stare. She couldn't face him right now though, the feelings that had welled up inside her were to recent and too jumbled for her to put them into context.

Did she like John yes, could she see herself having a future with him yes, could they die tomorrow? Again the answer would have to be yes, and that was the crux, losing any of they would be hard, but to lose John after finally allowing him in would be devastating.

Turning now Mickie looked down at John and decided he at least deserved to know why she was pushing him away. Mickie hadn't banked on him being so close, she had been too lost in thought to hear him stand up and approach her. Now her face almost collided with his chest as she took a step forwards thinking that he was still sitting down. John grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her as she sprang backwards off instinct alone.

"Dam it John you shouldn't creep up on people like that." Mickie said flustered partly by his close proximity, and partly by her hammering heart at his nearness. His hands were still holding on to her upper arms and now his thumbs rubbed soothing circles on her shirt there. Mickie looked up into John's eyes and saw a slight glint there; it scared her and excited her at the same time. Swallowing slowly she waited in silence for him to say something.

"Your right something's can't be justice to by simply talking." He said and Mickie knew in the moment before it happed that it was going to. She could see herself in his eyes, their brilliant blue reflecting her own drawn face back at her. She saw his neck bend and knew he was going to kiss her, she stood there thinking that a moment ago she would have pushed him away, told him that this was not the time, now she found herself anticipating it, excited by the thought of his lips pressing on her own.

Then before she could think about it any longer it was happening. His lips were soft and gentle they weren't demanding anything of her accept her participation. Mickie granted it willingly, allowing her head to tilt to offer John better access. His and went up to the back of her neck and now he pushed down on her deepening the kiss so that Mickie felt her knees go week just by the simple pressure of his lips. It had been so long since anyone had kissed her this was almost like the first time. New and exciting with just a hint of rebellious intent.

All too soon it was over, both needing to take in much needed oxygen they stood there for a moment simply looking at one another. Neither felt the need to speak this time, the silence seemed to embrace them as John took Mickie's hand and began walking her towards the doorway.

"Come on its late we should get some sleep." His smile was infectious and Mickie allowed the corners of her mouth to turn up in a small grin. She was kind of disappointed that he had made it obvious he was leading her upstairs to simply got to sleep, but also grateful at the prospect of taking this one step at a time.

Following John up the stairs Mickie decided that it would hurt to lose John whatever happened between them now. She already loved him, what they shared went beyond any relationship she had ever had before. It was the same for Randy and Beth, they were almost part of each other a physical relationship only seemed like the next logical step. The decision to keep all their relationships platonic now in hindsight only seemed to have had the effect of depriving themselves of something they all needed. Climbing into the bed beside John Mickie did not hesitate in curling herself around him. His arm wrapping protectively around her waist as she placed her head on his chest, feeling warm and safe sleep overcome her and Mickie could no longer keep her eyes open. As she drifted into unconsciousness Mickie felt John place his lips on her forehead in a chaste kiss, and Mickie couldn't help the satisfied smile that graced her face.

Beth woke to the sun glaring in through the window, it was lying right across her face, making her have to squint as she tried to roll away from the glare, only to be prevented from doing so by a solid object. Turing her face so that she could opened her eyes properly she looked over at Randy who was still asleep. Pushing on his chest to wake him, bet was only rewarded with a small grunt as Randy remained with his eyes closed and his face half buried in the blankets. Sitting up now Beth frowned and placed her hand on Randy's bare arm. His skin was freezing, raised in goose bumps Beth ran her hand up to his head and placed the back of her hand against his forehead. She was alarmed to find that he was clammy. Feeling genuinely worried now Beth tried once again to wake Randy, she shook his shoulder and called his name.

"Randy open your eyes." She said panic in her voice as Randy did not respond except to try and burry himself further under the covers.

"Randy please what's wrong?" Beth said feeling tears pricking at the edges of her eyes, defiantly she sucked in air to control them and blinked a few times to stop them from rolling outwards down her cheeks.

"So cold." Randy whispered as Beth leant forward so she could hear him better, as she did so Randy opened one eye slightly and he met Beth's gaze.

"I will get more blankets, just stay there Randy." Beth said realising that Randy probably had hypothermia from his spill in the wet snow yesterday. Getting up quickly and ignoring her own shiver at the temperature outside of the warmth of the bed, Beth rushed down the hall to the cupboard that John had found the other night. Pulling the doors open Beth saw that there were several blankets folded on the middle shelf. Grabbing them all with some juggling brought them back to their room. Randy had slipped back into unconsciousness and Beth didn't know if it was a good thing or not. Sleep was meant to be the great heeler, but if he slipped into a coma she didn't know if he would ever wake up again.

Deciding that all she could do for him right now was to try and keep him as warm as possible, she started placing blankets over Randy's already covered form. When she had done that Beth turned to the door and ran down the stairs. She had no idea of the time, but she suspected that it was early, the sun was still low in the sky, and it was the colour of cherry blossom. The colour at any other time would have made her smile, it was so beautiful, but now she had no time to think about it. Going into the living room, Beth noticed that the fire was still smouldering. Gathering wood she blew on the embers encouraging them to ignite the fresh wood. Finally the logs caught flame and the fire burned once more.

Going into the kitchen, Beth found the pan of water Randy and John had boiled yesterday and picked it up. it was incredibly heavy and she didn't want to spill it. Carrying it slowly and carefully back into the living room Beth placed it on the hooks above the fire. Squatting next to it she could do nothing more right now apart from wait for it to heat up. Randy was depending on her he had saved her life once, now it was time to return the favour.

Oh no will Randy survive this, and what kind of effect will it have on Mickie and John's decision to take the next step? Thank you for reading XxX


	18. Unspoken

I know it has been a while, but the inspiration for this story dried up. but now I have managed to come up with something and I am back. Please enjoy.

Chapter18: Unspoken

Beth sat and watched as the pan of water slowly came to the boil. She had already made up another pan ready to change over once the first one was finished. As the pan in front of her started to boil Beth used the handles to remove it from the flames. Setting it down on the floor, Beth put the next pan on and huffed for breath. Looking down at the steaming pot of water Beth wondered if she would be able to haul it all the way up the stairs by herself. As she was considering her options John appeared in the doorway and looked at her quizzically.

"I thought I heard someone moving around down here, you're up early." John said moving into the living room and eyeing the pan of water on the floor, and then the next one on the fire.

"Randy is sick, I think he is suffering from hyperthermia. I was going to put him in the bath, I was just wondering how to get this pan up there." Beth said and John stepped forward, he was shocked to hear that Randy was sick, but it seemed that Beth had things under control. All she really needed right now was some muscle, and that he could provide.

"Come on I will give you a hand, I can also help get Randy into the bath if you need me." John said as Beth bent down to pick up one side of the pan whilst John took the other. Neither of them saying anything as they headed up the stairway. They both knew how dangerous Randy's condition was. It wasn't like the old days, you just went to the doctor and got medicine. Now even a common cold could kill you if you weren't carful. Getting to the bathroom they placed the pan on the floor and Beth splashed some of it around the tub to clear it off the dust that had gathered there. Placing the plug in they then tipped in the water. Going back down the stairs quickly Beth filled up the pan once more with the last of their water and went back in to the living room. John was already removing the next pan and Beth swapped them over.

"When we get this one in, I will get Randy and we can put him in the bath." Beth said almost panting at the effort of carrying the heavy pan. Once the water was in the bath they saw it was almost half full. John quickly returned downstairs, knowing that he could carry the last pan alone if he had to. Beth said nothing but gave John a worried glance as she moved back off towards the bedroom.

Randy was still asleep, but he looked deathly pale beneath the covers and for a moment Beth allowed the fear to take over. She stood stock still looking down at her friend, the thoughts of what their life had been like before in the fore front of her mind. She remembered how they used to spend long evenings out on one of their balcony's at the hotels weather permitting. Just talking about what they had planned for the week. Friends and family back home, it had all been so easy back then, Beth never knew it would come to this. Bending down now she lifted Randy's head and cradled it in her lap like a mother holding her sick child. Running her hand across his clammy brow Beth fought back the tears which were threatening to fall and called Randy's name.

"Randy, come on honey we have to get you warmed up." Beth said still stroking his face as his eyes fluttered open.

"What did you have in mind?" He said with a slight wink and even though his comment would have usually promoted the response of a scowl, Beth this time couldn't help but smile. At least he wasn't completely out of it, she thought as she pulled on him to get Randy to help her move him from beneath the confines of the blankets.

Randy got up slowly leaning heavily on Beth's shoulder as he did so, but with some effort they made it to the bathroom and Randy eyed the steaming water.

"I think you are going to have to get undressed for this." Beth said just as John, with the help of Mickie brought in the next pan of water.

"Maybe we should leave for that one." John said happy to see that Randy was at least able to stand. Even if he did look like death warmed up.

"Yeah good idea." Randy said watching as they dumped in the next pan of steaming water. The idea appealed to him, he just couldn't seem to get warm, and right now a hot bath was a dam fine idea.

"We will get another pan ready, keep it nice and hot for you." John said backing up out of the room and taking Mickie with him. Beth remained in the bathroom however and Randy gave her a quizzical look.

"Randy if you want me to leave I will, but I am worried that you might pass out again." Beth said knowing that this situation was kind of awkward and Randy looked down at his feet for a moment. The wave of dizziness that came over him caused him to rock to the side slightly. Having to grab hold of the tub to steady himself Randy turned his head up to Beth slowly as she ran to help him.

"Maybe you should hang around for a bit." Randy conceded as he removed his boxer shorts without a second thought and climbed into the tub. The hot water wrapped around him and he finally felt like he was warming up. Beth moved towards his head, kneeling down beside him she sat in silence and stared at the wall in front of her. She could still see Randy out of the corner of her eye and made sure that he wasn't falling asleep. His voice made Beth jump slightly as she began to feel the effects of waking up early, and the physical effort she had exerted already. Her eyes were half closed as Randy's voice brought her back to full alertness.

"We need to get out of here Beth, and quickly, we are too vulnerable." He said and Beth nodded her head, she had been afraid of this happening, but she had not voiced her concerns at the time. Wanting to somehow prevent anything bad from happening by not giving them a voice. Beth should have known that mere avoidance was not how you prevented disaster. Lord knows the world knew that now.

"We will leave as soon as you are feeling better." Beth said but Randy was shaking his head almost immediately, but finding that it only increased his dizziness.

"No we go first thing in the morning, we can't afford to wait no matter what, even if I get worse, you leave me behind and make for the city." Randy said and the tone of his voice suggested that he wasn't about to budge on this decision.

"Randy there is no way in hell I will be leaving you behind, and you know that John and Mickie would never agree to that either." Beth said with an equal conviction and Randy just sighed. There was silence for a moment, neither of them speaking, both content with their own thoughts until Randy spoke up once more.

"You know it would be even warmer in here if there were two of us." He said giving Beth a wiggle of his eyebrows as he said it and Beth scoffed and looked over at him as he still wore a look of smugness on his face. Beth felt an uncharacteristic sense of mischief take her over for a moment, and before she could stop herself the words had slipped out of her mouth.

"Ok then move over." She said standing up as Randy looked at her in shock, his mouth hanging open like he was about to say something, but words failed him.

"Close your mouth Randy before you start catching flies." Beth said as she placed her hand on her hip, just so happy to see him returning to normal, as the hot bath did its job in bringing his body temperature back up. Randy mouth snapped closed, and for a moment Beth actually considered following though with her offer, but then there was a knock at the door.

"We all decent in there." Mickie called and Beth couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips as the door opened anyway without a wait for a response.

"Good job we are isn't it." Beth said as Mickie and john brought another pan of water in and poured it in to Randy's now cooling bath.

"Speak for yourself, I'm naked in here." Randy said grateful for the new warmth, but holding back on his sigh of pleasure. He didn't want the others to worry about him too much. He knew the damage was already done when he couldn't wake up this morning. But now he was feeling slightly better, and was more able to cover up just how weak he was feeling.

"Nothing we haven't all seen before mate." John said still averting his eyes from Randy as they stood in the bathroom and Beth spoke up first.

"We are leaving in the morning, so if you two could gather all our things together, and get what you can of that deer cooked up and stored away that would be a big help." Beth said and Mickie and John looked at one another. They knew that it made sense, but right now they didn't think Randy was going to be strong enough to travel. Neither said anything though, knowing that Beth and Randy had probably already had this out whilst they had been downstairs. Knowing that the decision had been made John nodded and decided that for now at least he would go along with it.

"Ok, we will prepare something to eat as well, I don't know about either of you two, but I am starving." John said as Mickie nodded vigorously next to him, and he couldn't help but smile down at her.

"Sounds like a plan guys, but for now, would you mind leaving, feeling a little awkward here." Randy said as the three of them stood around discussing what they were going to do. Beth gave him a grin as she ushered everyone else out of the room and closed the door behind them. Turning back towards Randy Beth gave him a soft smile as he visibly shivered again and the smile fell off her face. Crouching down beside Randy head Beth placed her hand on his shoulder and made him look at her.

"I wish you would stop thinking that you're indestructible Randy, we are a team." Beth said pausing and shaking her head, realising that that was not exactly the right word.

"We are a family, and if you're hurting I want to know so I can help you." Beth said now looking into Randy's eyes and trying to convey to him, just how much she had meant what she had said.

"I know and let's face it neither of us are good and being open about things, Mickie and John were always the ones far better at that than us. I guess that's why they have drifted together." Randy said and Beth smiled at his observation.

"But it's made us more focused, the ability to push our feelings aside will be essential to completing our mission, I don't want you or the others feeling like you need to protect me in anyway." Randy said now starting to feel cold once more as the water began to cool around him.

"But Randy we already do, don't you get it yet, we look out for each other no matter what, nothing you say or do is going to change that." Beth said seeing him start to shiver again and placing her hand in the now lukewarm water. It had been so hot when it went in, but the chill of the room had cooled it quickly.

"Your cold again, come on let's get you back into bed." Beth said without another word about Randy's obvious inability to allow her to take care of him. Randy stood up as Beth brought over the cleanest towel she had been able to find and wrapped him in it. Randy stepped out of the bath carefully as he felt his legs protest at carrying his weight again. Allowing Beth to support him they made their way back to their room. Hearing sounds coming from downstairs Beth hoped that Mickie and John were getting dinner ready. Randy needed to eat if he was going to regain his strength for the morning. The simple fact that he was allowing her to help him told Beth he was weaker than he was letting on, and she was concerned that if he got worse there would be nothing more she could do for him.

Placing him back under the covers Beth took a moment to decide what she was going to do next. Seeing him try to burry himself into the bed made her mind up for her. Stripping off to her underwear Beth climbed in next to a naked Randy Orton and wrapped herself around his chilled body. The coolness of his skin scared her, but she forced herself to remain holding him, sharing her own body heat with him. It didn't take Randy long to fall back to sleep, his body relaxing under Beth's hold as he did so. Beth relaxed with him her own tired muscles demanding the release of sleep as she stoked Randy's hair absently as he slumbered. The realisation of just how much she, no all of them needed him sunk in at that moment. The thought of continuing on this journey without him was something Beth was unwilling to consider, and she was going to do everything in her power to make him better. Whether Randy would let her was a different matter, but he had put up no argument to her actions so far.

Huddling down and pressing her nose into Randy's chest she listened to the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear, its continuous rhythm finally allowing her to fall into sleep as the sun outside shone on and for now at least the snow had moved on.

Mickie and John had cleaned the deer carcass and had cooked all they could, placing the meat into some Tupperware boxes they had found. Saving some for dinner they plated up two portions and added some crackers. They had cooked in relative silence, not knowing what to say they had avoided the subject of Randy, and also their new relationship. Both of them felt slightly selfish in indulging in their feelings right now while Randy was ill upstairs. Their conversation limited to what they were currently doing John finally closed the lid on the last of the meat and turned to Mickie who was holding the two plates of food.

"Do you think they fell asleep?" Mickie said having not heard a peep from upstairs for a couple of hours now.

"That would be my guess." John said as he followed Mickie out of the kitchen and picking up their own dinners on the way. Going into the living room he placed them on the small table and sat in one of the arm chairs. The fire was still burning and the house seemed to have warmed up all over, John was going to wait for Mickie to return before tucking into his food. He wanted to speak with her about them leaving in the morning. He was concerned that moving Randy too quickly could worsen his condition, but the same could be said for reaming where they were. John wanted Mickie's opinion on the situation, he trusted her judgement, more than that he trusted her heart, Mickie would tell him what she felt more than Beth or Randy ever would. It was her biggest strength and her greatest weakness at times and John couldn't help but admire her for it. Somehow all that had happened to them had not been able to break her ability to care. His own conscience had been reduced to a dim whisper and John was desperate to reclaim it.

When Mickie walked into Beth and Randy's room she wasn't surprised to see them huddled together under the covers. She knew it was not only necessary for Randy's recovery, but probably for Beth's piece of mind as well. Waking them gently she looked at Beth and smiled as she held out the plates of food. Beth took them gratefully and without saying a word Mickie left them alone once more. Mickie knew Beth would have asked if she had needed any help, and right now it was probably best that they were alone. Closing the door Mickie walked down the stairs and went to join John in the living room. He had had this look on his face which told Mickie that he wanted to talk, she was not sure if it was a good thing or not at this point, but she also knew she couldn't avoid it forever. Stepping though the doorway she saw John staring at the fire and she walked up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly at the contact, but he recovered quickly and placed his hand over her own.

"How are they?" John inquired first, knowing that what he had to ask could at least wait until they had eaten. Mickie moved so that she was now sitting in the arm chair with John, pushed up against him it was warm and cosy and she sighed as she allowed herself to relax against his familiar form.

"Ok I think, Randy was asleep, but I am sure Beth will get him to eat something, even if she has to force feed him." Mickie said half-jokingly, but both of them knew if push came to shove, that was exactly what Beth would do.

"Randy is strong, he will pull through this." John said with such a conviction that Mickie didn't even think about questioning him. Neither of them was about to admit that Randy may not make it, the thought alone was too painful, let alone speaking the words out loud. They fell into silence again, now tucking into their dinner, both knowing the conversation was far from over, but also for now happy to leave the elephant in the room remain unmentioned.

Beth managed to wake Randy, and this time he woke with more ease. Looking at her sitting up next to him holding a plate of food. He did not let her state of undress go unnoticed however, but chose to say nothing. He knew she had done it to keep him warm, to read any more into it would be dangerous. Taking the offered plate Randy tried to summon up an appetite, but even the alluring smell did little to stir his stomach into anything but nausea. Beth had begun eating her own meal, but stopped quickly when she noticed Randy hadn't touched his.

"You must eat Randy you know that, you will recover faster with a good meal inside you." Beth stated simply and watched as Randy finally picked up a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth chewing on it slowly. Randy swallowed the food, knowing that Beth was right, and it was important that he got better. He was feeling warmer now, the shivers had subsided and the feel of Beth's warm body pressed against his side was wonderful. It had been so long since he had been with someone so intimately, sure there had been times with both Beth and Mickie that they had shared a bed. Huddle together in some shelter trying to keep warm. But that was it there was no hidden agenda on any of their minds. As Randy chewed absently on his food, he wondered if Mickie and John's evolving feelings had anything to do with his current line of thought. Before sex and love had been something none of them had discussed, it had been a subject they didn't need to worry about, but now here in the wilderness it seemed that human nature had once again prevailed.

Randy noticed that he had finished his meal, having tasted none of it and that Beth was looking at him with a small smile on her face.

"Penny for them." She said as she took his plate and placed it with her own on the bedside table. Randy remained silent for a moment, not sure whether he should voice his thoughts or not, given their current circumstances. Beth's smile fell off her face at Randy's continued silence however and he turned to her so he was looking at her more fully now.

"I was thinking about John and Mickie, about how they have decided to try and be together." Randy said not giving Beth the full extent of his thoughts but at least it was the truth. Beth lowered her head slightly, taking in a long deep breath before returning her eyes to Randy's. She was glad that his colour was returning and his skin no longer felt like ice. With conservative hope she suspected that he was over the worst of it and that now given time he would recover fully. The line of his thoughts puzzled her somewhat however and she took a moment to consider her reply.

"Does it worry you?" she said thinking that perhaps Randy was concerned about their dynamic now that Mickie and John seemed to have somewhat paired off.

"No, I am happy that they finally realised what was right in front of them." Randy said not breaking eye contact with Beth, but the blonde turned her face from him. Looking towards the window at the dying light outside she did not look at him even as she spoke.

"If it makes them happy then that is all that matters." Beth said unsure of where this was leading, but getting the distinct impression that Randy was hinting at something else. Randy was concerned with Beth aloofness, she was obviously uncomfortable discussing this and Randy had no intention of pushing her away. Pulling himself down into the warm bed once more he reached out and pulled Beth down beside him. She came willingly enough and allowed him to pull her in tightly against him, skin against skin as they lie there fully awake but unmoving. Too much may have gone unsaid between them, but right now they were both content just to hold on to one another. The rest could wait for another day, maybe after this was all over they could come back to this moment and leave nothing unsaid.

Hope that extra-long chapter was worth the wait, more action to come in the next one as they finally break out from the safety of the house and continue on their journey. But will the new feelings that the time alone has brought up between them all be a hindrance or a help. As ever please let me know how I am doing, reviews inspire me to write and I will attempt to update more quickly from now on. Thank you for reading XxX.


	19. The arival

I am back and yes I know I should be punished for my lack of updates, but I hope you will forgive me.

Let the good times roll.

Chapter19: The arival

Beth had lain awake virtually all night the thoughts constantly rolling around her head were not good ones. She didn't want to leave, Randy was still not strong enough to travel, but she didn't want to stay either. She was starting to get cabin fever, not to mention the possibility of them all freezing to death out here. Lying next to Randy she kept half an eye on him, but he had slept soundly the entire night. Beth found herself being woken by an insistent shaking of her shoulder, realising that she must have dozed off in the early hours of the morning, Beth opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times to dislodge the groggy feeling that had settled over her brain.

"Time to go." Randy said with a brief smile as Beth rolled on to her side and placed her feet on the floor. She did not turn to look at Randy as he watched her extract herself from the bed. Pulling on her clothes Beth finished by pulling on her shoes and finally turned to look at Randy.

"We are doing the right thing, aren't we?" She questioned but she already knew the answer, nothing about this trip was right. They had set out on this journey to become what amounted to terrorists. Beth knew no matter how good their reason, the wrong thing done for the right reason was still ultimately the wrong thing. Randy simply nodded picking up his jumper from the bed and pulling it on over his head he glanced back once more and Beth before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

Mickie and John lie together in the early morning light, their bodies huddled together under the blankets as the air around them chilled from and dip in the temperature outside. Both silently preyed that this did not mean more snow, they could do with a bit of good luck on their journey or they both knew they might not make it. They had gotten half way on good luck and wits, but they did not believe that it would last forever. John didn't want to leave the warm bed but he could here Beth and Randy moving around and he knew if they did not move soon, then one if not both of their friends would be in shortly to remove them. Stoking his hand down Mickie's bare arm he pulled her in close and pressed his lips to her forehead. She let out a small sigh and buried herself in to his warm chest.

"We need to get up." he whispered to her, but as soon as he said it he could feel Mickie's head shake against his bare skin. John let a small smile form on his lips but he knew they could not stay here.

"Come on, before Beth or Randy walk in and drag us out by our toes." John said giving Mickie a gentle push as the former diva lifted her head and yawned.

"I know, I know." She replied not looking particularly enthusiastic until a knock at the door came followed by Randy's voice.

"Come on sleepy heads there's work to do." He called and Mickie lifted herself from the confines of the blankets and stood up. Stretching her aching muscles John couldn't help but admire her figure as she was back lit by the window. Mickie turned slightly and caught him staring. The look of mischief that crossed her face made John raise his eyebrows slightly before the knock on the door came again and this time Beth's voice rang clear into the room.

"Hey get up!" she yelled and Mickie almost burst with laughter at her best friend's bluntness. John lost the look on his face and replaced it with one of resignation. Throwing off the blankets he too got up and started to get dressed. Knowing that next time they might end up with a bucket of water chucked over them, Mickie and John wasted no time in getting ready and leaving their room.

As Mickie closed the door she felt like she was closing a chapter of her life, one where she found John and for the briefest of moments happiness. Now they were headed off in to the white wilderness once more. And whatever piece they had found in the house was to be left behind. Mickie felt a pang of regret as she climbed into the back seat of the car beside Beth. She glanced back as John pulled away from the forest and headed back down the track towards the highway. Continuing to look out of the back window until she could no longer see their port in the storm, Mickie finally turned forwards and caught Beth looking at her. She paused in her movements choosing to look at her friend as she tried to read the look in the blonde's eyes.

"It will never be a home Mickie, not until we have finished what we have started, maybe one day we can come back here." Beth said placing her hand on Mickie's shoulder and giving it a small squeeze.

"Yeah maybe one day." Mickie said but even as she did so she didn't really believe it was possible. Turning to face the road again as John pulled the truck onto the highway all Mickie could see was a vast expanse of white.

John drove the truck slowly, not wanting to end up spinning off the road and landing in some concealed ditch. It was hard however to tell where the road ended and the fields began. The landscape was one rolling tendril, the only markers were the trees sticking out of the white abyss. Even lines of hedges and fences were almost buried to the point of not being visible until they were right on top of them. John was starting to get a bad feeling about this, in fact he hadn't had a good one since they left the house. Glancing over at Randy he saw that he was dozing against the window, his body looked tense though, and his face wore a slightly pained expression. John knew there were many things that could be the cause of Randy's obvious troubled sleep, it was something none of them discussed. This was neither the time nor the place to be waking Randy up and asking if he was ok. Fixing his eyes firmly forward once more John took a chance and pushed the truck slightly faster through the thick snow. He was in a catch 22 here, if he went slowly they would have less chance of having an accident, but they would not have enough fuel to make it very far. Going faster meant getting further, but it increased their chance of crashing.

Seeing that the road was pretty straight and there were no visible obstacles John went for it crashing the truck through patches of deep snow that the wind had managed to blow into dunes in their path. The sudden jostling woke Randy as his head virtually smacked into the window and he cried out as the truck dived downwards once more until it hit hard snow and flattened out again.

"Jesus watch it John would you." Randy said now reaching for the door handle and holding on tightly. The truck bounced its way along more steadily now, but John was glad he had not had a big breakfast.

"Stop!" Beth cried after nearly an hour of driving. Her voice made everyone else jump and John almost skidded the truck into a fence as he slammed on the breaks.

"Dam it Beth what's going on." John cried as he brought the truck back under control and managed to keep it on the road.

"Up there, a farm, and where there are farms there are machines, where there are machines." Beth said with a small smile as Randy finished off the sentence for her.

"There is fuel." Randy tapped John on the shoulder and pointed to where Beth had been looking. John turned his head and saw that there was indeed a barn and what looked like a farm house. It would only be a minor detour and John quickly turned the truck around.

The track was a narrow road that wound its way up all the way to the farm buildings at the top. The place look deserted. No animals were in the barns and the tractors and combines stood rusty and unused. As John pulled the truck to a stop next to the farms refuelling pump Beth and Mickie climbed out first, cautiously moving around the truck and going over to the pump. John kept his hand on the key and Randy pulled out his gun from his bag.

Beth raised the nozzle and pulled the handle, gas poured out of the end and she quickly released the handle and stopped the flow. Grinning at Mickie the brunette moved around to the opposite side of the pump and kept watch. They had been caught too many times to take this deserted place for granted and as Mickie watched the house she swore she saw movement.

"Hurry it up Beth I think I saw someone." Mickie hissed at her friend as the blonde pulled the handle all the way up filing the trucks tank as fast as the pump would allow her. This place was giving her the creeps. It was beyond odd the way the bars stood empty, the equipment had rusted well beyond the two years the country had been in its greatest depression ever. Yet Mickie thought she had seen someone. The splash of fuel over her hand cause Beth to release the handle of the pump and pull back. Quickly replacing the pump Beth called to Mickie to get in and she rushed to the back door and climbed in quickly. Slamming both doors the girls looked at one another as John pulled the truck away from the abandoned farm.

The adrenaline rush of refuelling the truck got to the girls as they left the track and hit the highway again. Mickie letting out a high pitched laugh first. Beth followed clutching onto Mickie's hand in their strange yet effective way of getting rid of the tension that they had built up. John and Randy simply looked at them for a moment before joining them. John pushed the truck forward again, resisting the urge to beep the horn he settled for punching the steering wheel and shouting out within the confines of the truck.

"Salt lake city here we come." John said as the truck rumbled passed the sigh for the crossing into the state of Utah.

As they started to head south out of Wyoming the snow seemed to clear somewhat. No longer did it sit across everything, casing the landscape to look flat and without shape. Now the snow covered the tree tops and some of the higher parts of the fields beyond. The road ahead almost cleared and John allowed the speed to climb higher as they all looked out of the windows and saw the desolate landscape start to become more populated.

It started with a few houses, then turned into actual signs for towns that could be seen in the distance. John slowed the truck as they started to approach the city limits. They all knew they couldn't simply drive into town and roll up at the prison.

"We need to find a place tonight, somewhere that we can blend in, then we can ask around about this encampment place." Randy said as John pulled the truck down a side road that seemed to be full of derelict suburban houses. The similarity between here and Chicago was almost comforting in a disturbing way as John found an abandoned parking lot and stopped the truck behind some trees.

"Walk it?" John suggested as Randy nodded. Picking up his bag he watched as Mickie and Beth did the same as John turned off the engine and made sure the truck was secure. None of them knew when they were going to need it again, and it was pretty well hidden, no reason to take a chance and leave it vulnerable to thieves. As they all stepped outside they felt the icy bite of the wind as it bit at their skin. Beth huddled down into her coat as much as she could to ward off the sting in her cheeks. She saw Mickie do the same as both boys jammed their hands in their pockets.

"Come on let's get off the streets and see if we can find some shelter." Randy said leading the way down the street and towards what looked like the centre of town.

The walk had not been pleasant, but coming into the city seemed somehow worse, the streets were deserted here too. It was practically the middle of the day, yet no one walked the pavements. None of the shops were open, and even the military seemed only conspicuous by their absence. Randy paused at a cross roads and looked down all the off shoots. Seeing nothing and nobody Randy turned to the others and shook his head.

"Where is everybody?" Mickie said feeling genuinely worried now. She hated the thought of having made this journey for nothing, and wishing now more than ever to be back in bed with John.

"Who knows, my guess is keeping out of this wind." Randy replied as he spotted what looked like a good building to spend the night. Crossing the road followed by everyone else he walked up to the apartment building and pushed on the door. It opened with a slight creek. The smell coming from inside was that of stale air. It was clear no one had been inside for a long time. The place was covered in dust, and as they walked through the lobby, clouds of it blew around them as they disturbed it for the first time in what Randy suspected was years.

Making for the stairs Randy headed up them and walked on to the first floor, seeing the next set he continued up them. No one questioned his decision and by the time they had reached the top they were all slightly out of breath and coughing from the inhalation of dust.

"Randy?" John questioned as he pushed open the door to one of the apartments and a cobweb caught him in the face. Brushing it off spluttering slightly Randy pushed his way into the room and went directly to the window.

"I wanted to get a good look at the city." He said pulling on the curtains which stank of mildew as they parted revealing the world beyond. The clouds hung over the city, they looked like more snow clouds and Randy gave an involuntary shiver. The world below them however was unmoving and Randy had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You know there is an explanation for this, well only one I can think of anyway." Beth said finally standing next to him and looking down on what amounted to Armageddon.

"Go for it because I am stumped." Randy said as the blonde placed her hands on the window ledge and looked out at the horizon.

"They took everyone here to work in the camp, everyone who comes here ends up there too, so people just started to stay away." She said and it did make sense.

"That would mean all the soldiers are probably there, guarding it and keeping their eyes on the prisoners." Mickie said knowing what thus meant for their plans. John placed his hand on her shoulder, he had caught on to her line of thinking and was now backing away from the window and moving towards the door.

"We need to think about this guys. Even if we find this place we will still have to get in undetected, and preferably without getting shot." He said as the rest of them followed him. Making their way back down the stairs. They all had learnt that being on the top floor of a building was not a good place. There was nowhere to run. Returning to the lobby they found a communal room just behind the office and they all entered it. Throwing their bags on the sofas and sitting in the ones left vacant. It didn't smell great and there was a lot of dust but it was better than being outside.

"Ok so first things first we find out where this place is, then we scout it out." Randy said and his suggestion was met with nods as the others listened.

"May I suggest we take our guns and go in pairs, less chance of getting caught, and if one of us does get captured, at least the others would be able to maybe get us out." Beth said as John lent forward and placed his hands on his lap.

"What are we planning to do once we have worked out what this place is all about, I mean there is only four of us." John said not wanting to bring up the elephant in the room, but someone had to do it.

"We do whatever it takes to bring it down." Randy said as Mickie let out a small rush of air, that only John could hear. He looked at her briefly, but he knew Randy was right they hadn't come all this way just to break out a couple of people and make a run for it.

"A bomb." Beth said looking at the floor as she said it her eyes fixed on a spider that ran across the floor and scurried towards a crack in the floor boards. She stamped her foot on it just as it was about to make its bid for freedom. It crunched under her shoe as she tilted her head up to look from one set of wide eyes to another.

"Freedom was never won by the might of the pen, no matter what we were led to believe." Beth said as Randy looked at her and softened his expression and took in a deep breath.

"So let's get some sleep, we go tonight when there is less chance of being spotted." He said to more nods as Beth and Mickie stood up to retrieve the sleeping bags from their packs.

"So to keep warm you going to get naked." Randy said with an eyebrow wiggle at Beth as she unzipped her jacket and turned to him with her eyebrows raised. Mickie and John stood half-dressed poised to get in their sleeping bag. Both holding back on a fit of giggles as the blonde placed her jacket on the sofa next to her.

"You are so transparent you know." She said referring to his obvious innuendo and Randy shrugged.

"You always know where you stand with Clingfilm."

Hope that was ok, So they made it, but now what will breaking into the prison be like getting into Alcatraz, or will luck be on their side? Also a quick plug for you, if you haven't already check out my YouTube Channel Claireomack1982 I have a couple of wrestling videos up now if you fancied checking them out.

Thank you for reading XxX


	20. Reconnaissance

Well I have to say it is nice to finally get the opportunity to sit down a write again, I am sorry for the long wait on this chapter, but believe me it could not be helped.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Jcott3, thank you for your continued support.

Chapter 20: Reconnaissance

Shane McMahon sat in his warm soft arm chair, the fire blazing beside him casting the room in a warm orange glow. He sipped on the whiskey he had chosen from the cabernet earlier, and felt the alcohol burn all the way to his stomach. Placing the glass on the arm of the chair Shane took in a deep breath and tilted his head so he could examine the world beyond his window.

The sun had just set, turning the sky a deep indigo as the stars started to poke out from behind the clouds that had settled over the city all day. The thought of the cold outside of his cosy room made Shane shiver as he raised his glass to his lips once more and downed the rest of the amber liquid inside. Pursing his lips slightly at the bite of the drink he shook his head and allowed himself to relax back further into his chair.

Shane knew that this winter would be key if he was going to expand his business and monopolise the industry. He knew his workforce was the cheapest labour money could buy, in fact he didn't pay them at all. Shane had stumbled upon the idea of using the local criminals and illegal immigrants not long after the stock markets had crashed over two years ago. Not wanting to stick around and watch his dad crumble, Shane had pooled all his money and invested it in an old army mate. The moment martial law was declared Shane had been laughing. His home in the officers mess at Salt Lake City now looking like a stoke of genius. But the real stroke of genius had not come until a few days later when the soldiers started arriving with illegal immigrants for deportation. As Shane sat in his warm cosy living room now he remembered suggesting his idea to Major Luke North his old college friend, and at first he had been sceptical. As it turned out his bosses were not, expanding on the idea even, until there were over a hundred people at the Salt Lake Coty centre, all working for Shane and his overseas contracts.

There had been a time early on when Shane spotted Wade Barrett working on one of their many carpet weaving machines that he had almost called off the entire thing. It wasn't until then that Shane realised just how bad things had gotten out there. His new army friends told him as he walked into their office about how much better things inside the camp were for people. They got fed, shelter and clothing. Living on the streets was far worse than being here. Since that day Shane had seen several people he knew from before, but never once did he feel the urge to call things off. In the end he told himself as he stood up to fill his glass with more whiskey, he was helping America get back on its feet.

Pouring himself a healthy amount of whiskey he walked over to the window and looked down on the moonlit encampment. He did not see the high fences or the soldiers patrolling the grounds any more. What he saw was a factory of invention and export. He saw the way out of this depression, and that was why he had decided to build another facility down in Texas. With nearly a thousand people now living at the centre it was maxed out, and yet they were still unable to fill all their orders. Turning from the window Shane returned to his chair and sipped on his whiskey, he knew the streets of Sal Lake City were the safest in the country. No muggings or murders happened in Utah's Capital, and all because of his vision. Shane had kept in touch with his father, but they spoke rarely, but tonight his thoughts were drawn once more to him, having been told the news of the bank robbery that occurred in Chicago a few days ago. The fact that on one had been caught for it bothered Shane and he had a bad feeling about it. Shaking his head he polished off his second glass of whiskey and stood up to get a third. Deciding that bringing the bottle with him might be a better idea he picked it up and settled down once more. Pondering the thought of the robbery and how the committee might feel about building a work centre in all of America's large city's.

The night had arrived bringing with it a chill in the air and a sense of angst at what needed to be done. Randy had stirred first, rolling on to his back and allowing the arm that had been draped around Beth's middle to fall on to his own stomach. It would be so easy for him to fall back to sleep. To forget this entire thing and move on. He knew though that it was not an option, that continuing on like this forever was something none of them wanted. Whether it was the power of his thoughts or the tapping of his hand Randy felt Beth move next to him as she turned over and opened one eye to look at him.

"Once more into the breach." She said her voice soft and slightly muffled by the sleeping bag as she raised herself up on one arm to look at him better. Randy gave her a small smile but it did not quite reach his eyes. He tipped his head over to look at Mickie and John who were sleeping soundly next to them. Wrapped in each other's warmth Randy felt a pang of jealousy hit him before he pushed it away and felt only guilt about waking them. It seemed that Beth was also battling her own conscience as she tapped Randy on the shoulder and got his attention.

"What's say we leave them there and go and do this scouting mission on our own." She suggested and Randy paused for a moment. If John were awake he would be protesting at the danger they were putting themselves in, but he wasn't awake and Beth had a point.

"Ok but we leave them a note so they don't worry." Randy said pulling himself quietly out of the sleeping bag and pulling on his clothes. He watched as Beth did the same. Her movements reminded him of a cat. Graceful and silent as she bent down and picked something out of her bag. Holding it out Randy saw that it was a small writing pad and a pencil. Taking it he scribbled on the pad a short note and left it on the table. Looking at Beth she nodded quickly and turned for the door. Slipping out into the night with nothing but the clothes on their backs neither of them spoke as they slipped down the deserted street.

Moving across a road they headed south and towards the outskirts of the city. They had no idea of they were going in the right direction, but they suspected this camp would take up a lot of space so would be unlikely to be located in the city centre. As they moved from shadow to shadow Beth was scanning the area when she collided with Randy's back. Letting out a grunt as the air was forced from her lungs she almost swore out loud before Randy placed his finger on her lips to hush her. Pointing to a sign and a truck Beth turned her attention to them and watched as the tail lights of the truck disappeared down the long street.

"Follow it." Beth said looking from the now deserted road to Randy and back again.

"Looks like our best option for now." Randy said moving down the street now with more of a purpose. Beth could feel the renewed incentive now, before they had been like wandering nomads, now they at least had a destination. Breaking into a run as the street turned into a road surrounded now by old factories and run down buildings. The wind was cutting through their clothes, but neither of them felt the icy fingers as lights shone brightly in the distance. As they got closer they slowed to a walk and pressed their backs to several tress that lined the perimeter of the camp.

"Think this is it?" Randy whispered as two soldiers walked passed carrying their guns and sucked on what looked like cigarettes. The ends of which glowed in the dim light that reached their position, and faded as the soldiers walked away.

"I would say so, that or we have stumbled upon the best protected poker game in the world." Beth said trying to lighten the mood. Randy's returning grin made her own face lighten with a slight smile as they ducked behind their tree and completely out of sight.

"Ok so what do we know, high fences, guards and probably a hell of a lot of alarms and locks." Randy said crouching down and watching as puffs of smoke came from Beth's mouth as she breathed out into the chilled air.

"We need to know more, like how many guards patrol the perimeter, how often do they pass one spot. Is there a weakness in the fence line, how many doors are there to the interior." Beth was stopped only by Randy hand covering her mouth as he frowned at her.

"Ok I get the picture, we need to know more, but how on earth are just the two of us going to find all that out?" Randy asked as he removed his hand from the blondes mouth and she crouched next to him in silence.

"Ok." Beth said after a moment and Randy almost jumped at the sound of her voice in the still of the night. Even though she was whispering, it still sounded loud to his ears.

"First we see how often the soldiers come passed here, they must have shifts of some kind. Then when we know we are safe we make a run for it and check out that fence. If we can find a way in and out then we are half way there." Beth said and Randy had to agree, at least it was a plan.

"If we do this, we have to make sure we aren't seen, if they know someone is scoping out the place they are likely to up security." Randy said and Beth nodded, he knew she already knew this, but he had felt like he needed to say it any way. Randy did not continue with his next point about being caught. He knew Beth had thought about that to, he knew it the moment she had passed him the pen and paper to write John and Mickie the note. Randy had told them about where they were going, and had also told them to come in all guns blazing if they did not return. Peering round the trunk of the tree now Randy noted two more soldiers approaching their position and he looked at his watch. They kept silent as the two men walked passed them, but as soon as they disappeared Beth turned to Randy.

"Well?" she questioned and Randy looked up from his watch and studied her face in the moon light. Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at him, her lips were pale and he noticed her jaw shaking slightly and he felt the sting of the cold himself.

"About eight minutes, but as I didn't really note the first time I can't be sure." He said knowing they would not be able to say out here for too long before the cold took effect.

"Then I guess we wait." Beth replied allowing herself to rest slightly against the trunk of the tree. Her back towards Randy now as she stood there looking at the high fence in front of her and trying to ignore the cold that had seeped into her bones.

"I guess so." She heard Randy reply his voice sounded far away and for a moment she felt a pang of guilt at her own behaviour. She knew this was not the moment for either of them to be blurting out things they had kept controlled for so long though. When Randy had looked into her eyes Beth had felt the admission coming she had felt it before in the bathroom of that house she had found in the woods. And like then she turned away from it now, squashing down her own feelings and in the process doing the same to Randy.

It felt like hours that they sat there in the cold waiting for soldiers to walk passed. Six times they had hid behind that tree and checked Randy's watch, and six times the interval between them was different. The patrols were not regular, they weren't even close.

"God I thought that last lot weren't even coming." Randy said after the almost twenty minute interval between sweeps and Beth took in a long breath.

"Then I suggest we just get on with it." She said making to walk out into the night before Randy placed a hand on her arm and stopped her.

"What are you mad, earlier two almost came passed one after the other, don't you think we should at least give it a minute." Randy said looking passed the blonde and towards the far end of the fence they could see.

"Wait for what the next lot to come passed and then the lot after that." Beth hissed at him, knowing this was not about Randy's bravery, or even his commitment to the cause but something entirely different.

"No I just think we aren't prepared for this. Maybe if we had more than a couple of knives, maybe if we had Mickie and John with us on look out. We could come back tomorrow and do this properly." Randy said a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach as Beth looked back at him, her eyes dropping from his briefly before she locked her gaze on his once more.

"I know your worried about what will happen if this goes wrong, about what will happen to me, believe me the feeling is mutual, but we have to do this Randy, we have to do it now, time is not infinite and we are fast running out of it." Beth said her hand finding his in the dark and as she clutch it she also pulled him forwards.

Dashing across the open space they made it to the chain link fence. Looking up they could now see the barbed wire clearly ling the top. It had been hard to make out from behind the tree, but it was now clear that climbing over the fence was out. Moving along the thin sharp wire Beth crouched low as something banged in the distance. Randy slunk down beside her looking around for the cause of the noise. Seeing nothing he tapped Beth on the shoulder as they moved towards a corner of the perimeter fence. Now as far as either of them could see, was hard steal and wire, it was only now the size of this camp was hitting them.

"There must be hundreds if not thousands of people in there." Beth said a slight note of pain in her voice as Randy nodded his head slightly and continued moving forwards. It was only moments before they heard voices. Looking at one another they dashed down the hill and almost fell behind a shrub as two soldiers walked passed. Beth tried to slow her breathing as she watched the pair walk passed and for a second she froze.

"Randy." She hissed as Randy started getting up to resume their search of the fence.

"Randy." She called again louder this time to get his attention from the retreating forms of the soldiers.

"What, what is it?" Randy said coming back to her, thinking that Beth had hurt herself or something in their dash to get away.

"I think I have a better idea." She said with a slight raise of the eyebrow as Randy looked back at her and almost shook her to get her to talk.

"Well what is it?" H said after a moment's pause as Beth got up and brushed at the dirt that was now stuck to her black jeans.

"We disguise ourselves as a couple of soldiers. Who knows we may even be able to walk through the front doors." Beth said with a slight grin as Randy returned it before the smile fell off his face and he placed his hands on his hips.

"And how exactly are we supposed to get our hands on a couple of uniforms?" he said as the sound of voices could be heard in the distance as Beth turned up the corner of her mouth in a half smile.

"You're kidding right, take out a couple of soldiers with guns, Beth I think the cold has made you slightly barking." Randy said unable to believe what she was saying, in the past dealing with soldiers and violence were the last thing any of them had wanted. In the space of a week, they had become grand larcenists, murders and wanted criminals. Randy decided that this now was not in fact out of character.

"Ok we do it quickly, the only advantage we have is the element of surprise." Randy replied quickly ducking behind the bush as the two soldiers approached. Beth followed suit, removing the knife from her sock, it was the knife not so long ago that had almost killed her, she now considered it her lucky knife, and so far it had not let her down. Moving it into her right hand she crouched, her muscles tensing ready for whatever was to come next.

As the air stood still around them and the moon shone now unobstructed by the clouds, the only sound was the chatter of the two approaching soldiers. They had no idea they were being watched and that was just how Randy and Beth liked it. As the pair came in line with their position both of them broke cover. Racing across the open expanse of grass as silent as the night around them.

I know another cliff hanger, but what did you expect? Have Randy and Beth made a huge mistake or will their risk pay off? To find out just tune in for the next update, and send me a review for inspiration so I get it up quickly. Thank you for reading XxX


	21. Fait accompli

Greetings fellow readers, as promised another update for you.

Enjoy.

Chapter21: Fait accompli

When Mickie and John finally awoke it was to the sounds of birds singing, and to the sun light streaming in through the moth eaten drapes that covered the windows. Mickie rolled over and immediately saw the other sleeping bag, unoccupied and she sat up with a start.

"John, John wake up." Mickie said shoving him in the shoulder to make her point as John sleepily opened one eye and looked up at her.

"What is it, it's not even dark yet." John stated, not realising that they had slept then entire night. Crashing back down into the sleeping bag he tried to pull the cover back up as Mickie climbed out and stood next to him.

"Beth and Randy have gone, it's not night yet because its already morning." Mickie stated as she spied the note left on the table in the centre of the room.

"You what!" John sat up suddenly and was now fully awake, he jumped from the sleeping bag, getting tangled in it in his haste to get out and go and join Mickie who was scanning the note. Mickie turned to John as he finally prized himself from the sleeping bag and reached her location.

"It's from Beth and Randy, it says; Left you too sleep in piece, but we decided to go and check out this encampment. If we are not back by the morning come looking for us, but do not under any circumstances get caught. Hope to see you soon, but if not, we know you will know what to do. Yours Randy and Beth." Mickie finished the letter and looked up at John slowly, both of them knowing something had to have gone wrong as neither of their friends were here.

"Dam idiots, I knew they would pull a stunt like this, now they expect us to come along and clear it up for them, well I say let them rot in their own problem. Maybe it will teach them a lesson." John almost shouted, feeling the anger boiling up inside him. He didn't have any intention of leaving Randy and Beth to it, but it did feel good to vent. Mickie's hand on his shoulder got his attention once more as he turned his head away from the view from the window.

"I will pretend you never said that, put it down to shock, we can't leave them John. I know they were stupid trying to do this alone, but it's done now and we can't change that. Maybe we should look at this as an opportunity." Mickie said as John looked at her sceptically.

"An opportunity, what kind of opportunity?" He asked folding his arms and holding Mickie's gaze as a puzzled expression crossed her face.

"I'm not sure yet, but maybe Beth and Randy got caught on purpose, so they could launch their attack from within you know. They are just waiting for our help on the outside." Mickie said but even to her own ears she knew what she had said was unlikely. John was still looking dubious about her response and for a moment silence was the only thing that filled the air.

"Well I guess the one good thing is, now we can devise a plan, and not have to worry about those two going all gung hoe on us and getting into trouble." John said picking up his bag and noting the extra weight in it. Opening up the zipper he looked inside to find all their guns, for a moment he didn't know if he should tell Mickie or not. The thought of Beth and Randy going looking for this camp unarmed was worrying him enough, and John was worried that it might tip Mickie over the edge. As he heard her cough slightly John lifted his head to see her brown eyes looking at him with concern.

"What is it, did you find another note?" Mickie asked as John tilted the bag towards her to let Mickie see for herself. John had realised a long time ago, that shielding people from the truth only delayed the inevitable. And Mickie had proved a long time ago that she was far stronger than people gave her credit for.

"They didn't take any guns." She stated simply as John allowed the bag to drop slightly at his side and swing there for a moment.

"Probably didn't want to make a scene if something went wrong. They get caught with guns they would likely get shot on site. At least they weren't that stupid." Mickie said and John realised that she was right.

"Ok then, we won't be that stupid either, but we do need something. Obviously Beth and Randy's plan didn't work or they would be back here. Perhaps we should consider thinking outside the box." John said a small smile coming to his face as Mickie looked up at him quizzically.

"John you have been spending far too much time with Beth, you have that I have a plan look on your face. I never like Beth's plans when she has that look, please don't tell me you're thinking of doing something stupid." Mickie said as John's face didn't lose the small smile that had made its home there. His head turned slowly as he looked back out of the window once more and he looked at the cloudless sky. For once the sun was shining and the thought of all that snow was left long in the past.

"This may take a little time, but I think it is far from stupid." John said still facing the window as he heard Mickie huff behind him. He could picture her face now, but John knew this plan would work, he just hoped they could pull it off in time to save their friends.

As Beth and Randy launched themselves at the two unsuspecting soldiers both their hearts were hammering in their chests. Grabbing them from behind and coving their mouths with their hands they dragged them back down the hill side. Shoving them to the ground Randy stood over both men and brandished his knife at them while Beth took their guns and threw one to Randy. Keeping the other gun trained on the men she felt her body shake, not only from the cold but also the rush of adrenaline that still caused through her veins.

"One word and we kill you, you hear." Randy hissed at the soldiers, both who were not much more than boys both nodded their heads and kept silent. Randy was grateful that the two soldiers they had chosen were obviously inexperienced. Better trained officers would have put up more of a fight, and probably forced them to have to take more permanent action. These two however were meek as lambs as Beth held their own gun at them and stood over them looking as menacing as possible.

"Now out of your clothes." Randy demanded aiming his own gun and pointing at the taller of the two soldiers. They both looked at each other for a moment, neither wanting to comply with the request, but both too scared to speak up.

"Now!" Beth hissed and that got them moving, both stripping of their clothes until they were down to their underwear.

"That's far enough, we not perverts, now hold out your hands." Beth said lowing the gun slightly and pulling out a rope from her bag. Placing her gun down well out of reach she tied the two men together then rapped the end around the tree. Randy kept his gun raised at all times, but he suspected these two were not going to provide them with too many problems.

"Eyes front." Beth snapped as she began removing the outer layer of her clothing and picking up the smaller of the two uniforms. Both soldiers snapped their eyes towards the tree, and Beth quickly stripped and pulled on the uniform. Glancing at Randy she saw that he was doing the same, not wanting to linger here too long Beth zipped up the tunic and pulled the belt tight. The clothes were still a little loose looking but for now it was good enough. Randy looked like he had shrunk his clothes in the wash, and Beth had to supress a small giggle as the trousers hung just above his ankles, showing off his white socks.

"Expecting a flood are we." She said her smile large causing Randy to frown as he checked on their prisoners who were still facing the tree.

"No, but at least I don't look like I stole my clothes from my big brother." Randy snapped back with a smile of his own as Beth picked up her gun and lifted it to shoulder height. Looking at the two men now shivering slightly naked in the cold she turned to Randy. Both of them knew the two men would be a problem. They would get loose or be found eventually and as soon as that happened the game would be up.

"If they are found quickly we won't stand a chance." Beth voiced after a few moments and Randy had to nod his head in agreement. They had not really thought this through and now they seemed to have painted themselves into a corner.

"We have to get rid of them." Randy said under his breath as Beth snapped her eyes up to his and shook her head. It was one thing killing that man back in the church in self-defence, but killing these men. No she said to herself, boys for they must have only just be out of their teens, was cold blooded murder.

"No Randy we find a better way, take them somewhere, get John and Mickie to watch them, I don't know, but we can't just dispose of them like last week's garbage." Beth said not looking at the two men now as they both began to shift in their positions next to the tree. It was obvious from the way they kept looking around, and fidgeting that they had overheard their conversation.

"It would take too long, they are a loose end Beth, and I wish it hadn't gone down like this but we have no choice." Randy said raising his gun and taking a deep breath. Randy didn't want to do this just as much as Beth, but he was a realist, and the time they were living in now was worlds apart from the one they had known before. This was truly dog eat dog, and right now Randy knew he had to act like a wolf.

"Stop." Beth said a hand on Randy's shoulder as he made to move towards the tree. It was a light pressure and would in no way prevent him from moving forward once more, but the tone of her voice made Randy pause.

"Can't we at least try and find a place to hide them and secure them properly. It has to be worth it Randy." Beth said as Randy looked down at her and nodded, when it came right down to it, Randy didn't know if he could have done it anyway.

"Ok we give it half an hour, any longer and we will be running out of night." Randy said looking at his watch and noting that it was almost six am.

"Deal." Beth said now smiling slightly as she went over and untied the rope from around the tree. Handing the end to Randy he took it from her hand. Their fingers brushed slightly as Beth passed him the rope and for a moment everything in their world seemed too narrow to that fleeting contact. Backing off first Beth went behind the pair of soldiers and pointed her gun at them.

"Get moving." She said her voice still low, afraid they might be over heard but they had not seen a single patrol since these two walked past. Both men moved forward following Randy deeper into the woods that surrounded the encampment. Walking through the forest Beth noticed that the sky was getting lighter, its deep black turning to an inky blue and the stars were retreating for the day time. she could tell it was going to be a bright crisp morning as not a cloud hung in the ever lightening sky as they continued on their trek through the woods.

Beth's thoughts about the day were ripped from her as all of a sudden one of the soldiers made a run for it. He had slipped his ties and was now making a dash for the camp. Randy was trying to hold on to the other soldier as he fought for his freedom also. Beth took one look at the ensuing fight and decided that Randy could probably handle the smaller man. Her main concern was their runaway. Dashing after him through the damp under growth she saw him disappear around a tree. Leaping over a fallen branch Beth poured on the speed and began catching up with the escaping soldier. Her arms felt heavy, and her legs were filling with lactic acid, but Beth knew she had to continue or she and Randy would be the ones in chains.

Beth could also see that the man she was in pursuit of was also flagging. He stumbled over a branch and fell to one knee. It allowed Beth to catch up to the point where she was almost on top of him, before he managed to slip from her grasp. Running through the now thinner tree line Beth could see the sight of the fence in the distance, she was running out of road and knew it was now or never. Slowing slightly she pulled her lucky knife from her pocket and pulled her arm back. Stopping as the young soldier avoided a tree she took aim and threw the knife. She watched as it flew end over end until it landed in the fleeing man's back. He fell to the floor with a hollow thud, his arms out stretched and his face in the dirt. Beth ran to him quickly pulling on his legs to drag him back into the wood. The pool of blood coming from the wound and the lack of movement told Beth her lucky knife had done the job.

Pulling him until her muscles gave way from the effort Beth checked behind her to see Randy approaching alone. He took one look at the man at her feet and nodded. Beth didn't need telling that Randy had killed the other soldier she could see it in his eyes as he bent down and pulled her lucky knife from the man's back.

"We go now." He said passing her the knife as Beth accepted it and placed it once again into her pocket. Moving silently through the trees, back to the camp neither of them spoke about what had happened. Nor did they mention the fact that they wouldn't have to worry about the soldiers any more. Moving this time towards the main entrance Beth and Randy stopped as they reached the gates. Keeping in the shadows as they watched the guard in the watch house flick through a magazine.

"We will wait for day break, then when the next transport arrives we just walk on up like we just got off it." Randy said as Beth nodded her head. There was nothing left to do but wait again, and right now they both needed the time to think.

It took nearly an hour for a transport to arrive, Randy and Beth dashed over as the soldiers began piling off the back. Waiting until the last few had gone through the check in Randy and Beth attached themselves to the back and walked up to the guard at the station.

"Name, and number!" The guard barked and Beth and Randy looked at one another as the man held out his clip board and gave them a cursory glance.

"You two got tongues in your heads." He said his eyes finally falling on Beth and his eyebrows shot up.

"Well now, don't get many women through these gates, well not ones that don't skink of garbage, or look like they could do with a good bath in disinfectant anyway." He said a smile coming to his face as Beth returned the smile and played along.

"Well I guess you don't get as many real women as you used to, not now they have to do a proper days work." Beth replied as she spotted Randy leaning over to get a good look at the list of names and numbers on the guard's paper.

"True very true, now if I can just get your details, I can let you get on with your work." The guard winked at Beth as she smiled right on back at him. Randy knew Beth was thinking about how many ways she could kill him with just one hand, as he saw her subtle eye roll as the guard shifted his gaze to Randy.

"Stafford, 619." Randy replied as he smiled as Beth raised her eyebrows slightly, but Randy wasn't done yet.

"And this is Hawkins 360." Randy now turned to Beth with a smug smile on his face. Randy couldn't believe it when he read a few of the names. His eyes immediately drawn to the two numbers still unclaimed by the soldiers who had already passed through the gates. As the guard checked his list and found their credentials he waved them through.

"Ok go in and find your wing commander, he will sort you out with some breakfast and your sleeping accommodation." Beth hurried on through as the man behind the desk was starting to worry her as he gave her a small tip of his head as they made their way into the camp.

Walking through the huge door into the main building Beth could smell the damp clinging to the peeling wall paper that covered the crumbling walls. It wasn't much warmer inside than out and as they walked the corridors, following some of the other soldiers the cries of children could be heard coming from a distance.

"You will get used to it, it's our job to see that they work, feeding them and caring for them is not our job, we leave that to the red band inmates. I will tell you about them later. For now this will be your accommodation for your stay here." The man at the front stated as they paused outside a door and Beth looked at Randy as he shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Beth understood, right now they could do nothing, an opportunity would come but this was not it. Following the rest of their group into was amounted to a dorm room they felt the temperature immediately increase. The beds looked soft if not a little cramped, but at least they had pillows and blankets. Beth was sure it was far more comfortable than what the inmates had.

"Sort your bunks out, breakfast will be served in half an hour. The dining room is located down the hall, and third door along." The man who had lead them hear shouted, it was obvious he had been here a while and was at least in charge of them. Beth and Randy picked bunks next to one another in the far corner. Having hardly anything to unload they quickly made their beds. The only things they had with them was their discarded black clothing and a pair of flash lights. Hiding the clothes under their pillows they stood by their bunks and silently observed the room. Beth noted that there was only one other woman present and all the men looked young. She wondered if they had been recruited straight out of school, knowing that the army was probably offering them their best chance after the collapse of the country. It saddened her to think that no one had any options now, it was either be the oppressor, or the oppressed. Neither option seemed to be appealing, and looking at the faces of these young men, Beth seemed to understand now, how they had chosen this over the alternative.

"No matter what Randy, we come out of this having made a difference, for both sides." Beth whispered to Randy as he turned to look at her, his gaze having moved from face to face and the understanding was clear in his eyes.

"Too right no going back now, if this is where we make our stand, let's make it count."

There you go another chapter, so what is John's plan, and do Randy and Beth really need saving? Stay tuned to see it all unfold. Thank you for reading XxX


	22. Behind the wall

I am back thank you for all your reviews:

"The only people who have seen the end of war, are those who died fighting in it."

Chapter 22: Behind the wall

"What John you're not serious, join the army, that will take weeks, and who knows where they will send us." Mickie shouted throwing her hands into the air and spinning away from John who was not feeling as confident about his plan any more.

"I know it will take time, but it's our best shot of getting in without raising suspicion." John said trying to convince the brunette who was packing up the sleeping bags and stuffing them into a holdall.

"Do you have any better ideas?" John questioned as Mickie remained silent and continued fighting with the bulky sleeping bag. She stopped for a moment and looked up at John, he was staring at her waiting for an answer he already knew.

"Not yet but it doesn't mean I won't, anything has got to be better than joining the dam army." Mickie finally replied as the sleeping bag lost its battle to pop back out of the holdall and Mickie zipped it up.

"And how long is that going to take, and even if we do come up with something else, who is to say that will work. I know this will get us in there." John said a slight desperate tone to his voice as Mickie dropped her bag onto the floor and folded her arms.

"Six weeks training John, six weeks that Beth and Randy probably don't have, we need to be in their tonight, at the latest first thing tomorrow, now are you going to help me pack, or what?" Mickie said throwing an empty holdall at John who caught it just in time before it hit him square in the face.

"I tell you one thing, when I get my hands on those two I am going to kill them." John said now stuffing the other sleeping bag away as Mickie looked at him with a half-smile.

"Get in line."

Shane was going over the plans for the new build when Captain Pearson walked into his office. Shane looked up from his paper work and set it aside as the older man walked in with a sour look on his face.

"What can I do for you David?" Shane asked, he had never really liked this man, he was always too quick to use violence and punishment with the workforce. However Shane had to admit the place had run better since Person had taken over as commander. There were less escapes and production was up twenty percent. Shane had learnt as in most things to turn a blind eye, especially when things were working.

"These new recruits we have just received, most of them are no more than boys, its unacceptable Mr McMahon." Pearson said standing to attention at his boss's desk. He glanced down at the younger man and held back his sneer of contempt for him. As far as David Pearson was concerned Shane was a good businessman, but when it came to running this facility, he should be left in charge. It irked him that he had to come up here every time he wanted to change something, or needed to punish an inmate. So far he could do nothing about it, but he had plans, and perhaps Pearson thought with a hint of a smile, this new build in Texas would take Shane McMahon out of the equation.

"Look I know they are young, but it is all we have right now, I am sure under your leadership they will soon get the hang of things." Shane said in an attempt to appease his camp commander, but he could tell it had gone only a small way to bridge the chasm that existed between them.

"Indeed sir, but for now, until they have been trained may I suggest a lock down on the facility." Pearson said knowing that Shane wouldn't like that. Allowing the inmates to roam free at this time would be dangerous, his troops untrained and his resources spread thin, Pearson knew they would be asking for trouble.

Shane looked up at the man and held his gaze for a moment, he didn't like having the inmates locked up all the time unless they were at work, but for once and although Shane would never admit it, the man did have a point.

"Very well, you have a week, after than I want the lock down lifted." Shane said turning back to his paper work assuming that the conversation was over.

"Should I expect your usual greeting for the new arrivals sir?" Pearson said with a slight mocking tone to his voice which Shane ignored. Not in the mood for an argument now he simply looked up and nodded.

"Have them ready for six o'clock." Shane said this time waving the man out with his hand and hearing the man's boots clomping away down the hall, Shane let out a breath of relief.

"One day I swear I am going to swing for him." Shane said to no one but himself as he was left alone in his office. Opening the top draw he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and uncapped the top. Taking a long swing he then pulled out the glass and stood it on his desk. Pouring himself a generous measure, he returned the bottle to the draw and went back to his building plans. He smiled slightly as he felt the alcohol warm his belly, the anger at his commander subsiding giving way to the warm buzz that the whiskey always provided. Checking his watch he saw that it was almost lunch time, and he wondered briefly if he should call his father. Shaking his head Shane took another drink this time from his glass and set it back down on the desk softly. Before he had chance to think more about calling his dad a knock at the door came. Looking up and whipping the glass of whiskey off the desk, Shane sighed when his PA walked in and handed him a message.

"Thank you Brenda." He said as the older woman retreated back to her desk. Shane had hired her after the disastrous employment of Kelly Kelly. Not only had she been a useless PA, but she had been just a little too tempting. Finally when Kelly had gotten pregnant Shane had shipped her off to a military barracks in Forte Brag. He had no desire to see her or his child again, and as he drained his glass of whiskey he lent back in his chair and for a moment wondered if they were still even there.

"From now on, I only employ women who come under the three F's." Shane said to himself as he pulled out his whiskey bottle and poured himself another glass.

"Fat, Forty and Fucking ugly." He laughed to himself as he drained the whiskey and forgot all about the past, intending to concentrate on the future.

Beth and Randy made it to the dining hall, they had not seen any of the prisoners here yet, but they had heard several cries. Desperate voices that echoed through the corridors, joining with the yells of screaming infants. Beth looked at Randy as they entered the large hall and her face spoke volumes. There was only so long they could wait before acting, spending even one day in this place, whilst these people suffered was playing on her mind. Seeing Randy return look of anguish she knew he was feeling the same. Collecting their food they sat down at an empty table in silence and began eating. It was nice to have a proper hot meal, but neither of them could fully enjoy it.

"We need to get a proper look at the place." Randy said finally as Beth forked food into her mouth but barely tasted it. He words surprised her, not because of what they meant, but because of the fact he had spoken at all.

"I know, then we need to work out how we take out twenty other guards and fee the prisoners at the same time." Beth replied giving up on her meal and pushing her plate away. Randy looked down at the half finished plate and pushed it back in Beth's direction.

"You need to eat Beth, if we are going to do this, then we both need to be strong." Randy said as Beth arched her eyebrow at him and placed her fork on the table.

"Yes dad." She replied in a mocking tone but made no effort to finish her meal. Randy chose to say nothing, he knew when Beth had decided upon something there was no talking her out of it.

"Do you think Mickie and John have found the note we left them yet?" Randy asked finishing his own meal and also pushing his plate away. Beth did not even glance at it as she leant forward and gave the room a cursory glance.

"I would think so, but what they are planning to do is a mystery. I have a feeling that now whatever it is might not work in our favour. I mean we are in, we are armed and no one suspects anything." Beth said leaning back and noticing the doors open at the end of the room. The man that walked in was tall and bulky. More fat than muscle, but he had a look in his eyes that told Beth he wasn't one to be messed with. Tapping Randy on the shoulder Beth pointed to the man who had just walked in. it seemed that the entire room was now looking at the new arrival as he headed towards the front of the room.

"Welcome to The Salt Lake City Centre, you have been placed here to keep order and insure the safe and continued running of this facility. You will be expected to do your jobs, listen to your wing commanders, and follow orders without question." He continued as Beth and Randy gave each other a glance before the man continued with his bluster.

"I am your camp Commander Captain Pearson, I am in charge of all of your welfare while you stay here. Any issues with inmates, colleagues, facilities go to your wing commanders. They will then inform me. Today however you will start your weeks intense training. You will learn how this facility runs, and you will be expected to uphold the standards. Any questions!" Pearson barked as Beth almost rocked back in her seat with the force of the man's delivery. Unsurprisingly there were no raised hands from the gathered soldiers, and with one more sweep of his eyes around the room Pearson moved towards the doors.

"Attention, everyone dressed in uniform and in the yard in ten minutes!" One of the soldiers cried, Beth snapped her head round to see that it was the man who had lead them to their living quarters and she sprung up out of her chair. There was no option as all the bodies in the room did the same. Dinner trays left where they sat as men began piling through the doorway only to have it shut on them.

"Are you a bunch of pigs, get your trays away!" One of the soldiers screamed as Beth quickly snatched up her tray along with Randy, both of whom were glad they had not made a mad rush for the door. Scraping their plates into the bin and placing them on the counter they then went to the door and the tall man who had been with them from the start gave them a small smile.

"Glad to see some of you have manners." He said giving Beth a long look before allowing them past. Randy clutched onto Beth's arm and dragged her back to the dorm. Not questioning him, but not really enjoying being man handled Beth finally pulled away from Randy's grip as they arrived at their bunks.

"Randy what in the world." Beth hissed as others started to arrive and she pulled on her tunic jacket and zipped it up.

"I didn't like the way that guy was looking at you, you have to be careful Beth, things are not like they used to be. Especially in a place like this." Randy said joining her in heading for the outside yard as they made their way past several young guys who were struggling with their boots.

"You don't have to remind me of that Randy." Beth said giving him a cold stare as they walked out into the bitter morning to find Pearson flanked by two other soldiers. One was their wing commander, and the other neither of them had seen before.

"You two get the gold star for today." Pearson said looking at his watch as others started piling out of the door and came to stand to attention next to Beth and Randy.

"Maybe we should be a little worse at this, if we start to get noticed we won't be able to slip away so easily." Beth said in a low whisper as Pearson blew a whistle to get everyone's attention. Beth caught Randy's answering nod as they were all told to form lines of six and their training began.

Mickie looked at John with a small smile as she came back from speaking to a local trader. It seemed that the city was not as deserted as they had all first thought. The reason no one was about was because they had all been at work. No one lived on the streets here, they were all taken to the camp. Now reunited with John Mickie held up their new identity's and passed him his credentials.

"This was the best you could come up with?" John said looking down at his new profession and screwing up his face.

"Look I asked the guy what the camp needed most, he said well other than more workers they needed electricians, plumbers, skilled workers, so that is what we are." Mickie said looking down at her ID and enjoying the fact that she was now a fully qualified plumber.

"But I have no idea about wires and circuits, how am I actually supposed to fix anything once we are in?" John said looking at Mickie who pulled him into a door way and place her finger over her lips.

"Hey little bit louder John I am not sure they heard you in out of space." Mickie administered him as John raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Ok but seriously, we can't just go in say we have come to fix your heating and then do nothing." John said as Mickie smiled at him.

"No, all we need is access to their inner most parts, then we can plant the bombs." Mickie said with a small smile crossing her face as John returned her grin. It was short lived though as they could hear a car coming. Moving out of the door way and into an alley they waited until the car passed them.

"So where are we going to get parts to make a bomb, let alone several of them?" John said not wanting to be negative, but this plan was far from the finished article.

"Well who is more likely to have explosives than the military." Mickie said with another small smile and John wondered if somewhere in the night Mickie had had a personality change. Placing his hand on her shoulder he turned her around to look at him. Holding onto her and enjoying the closeness of her John looked down into Mickie's eyes and smiled.

"You know, if it wasn't for you, I would have given up a long time ago." John said as Mickie lent forward and kissed him softly on the lips. it was a chaste kiss, but it held so much meaning that John was tempted to simply take her back to their temporary base and forget the whole thing.

"You are stronger than you know John, those first few months you were our rock, Randy may have taken over since, but I will never forget what you did for us back then. Neither will Randy or Beth." Mickie said stepping back from John and watching as he hung his head. For a moment Mickie wondered if John was having second thoughts. She could see that he had reservations, hell Mickie did to, but right now they had nothing else. As John's head raised up to meet her gaze once more Mickie could see the change in him.

"Ok then, we go and get the car, turning up on foot would look weird, but before that we had better buy some tools. They are likely to check and if we have nothing with us it is going to arouse suspicion, Randy and Beth left what was left of the money we can use that. Also we may want to consider buying bomb making materials. Pipe's, vice grips, all things we would be carrying anyway." John said and in that moment Mickie knew he was going to be ok.

Beth and Randy collapsed on the grass as they finished their run. The rest of their team followed suit as they also arrived.

"Well at least we got a good look at how big this place is." Randy panted as he held onto his thighs and watched as Beth sucked in the cold air.

"Yeah, nine kilometres, in both directions." She hissed as Sargent Davis their wing commander came up to them to tell them to move into the yard. Beth got stiffly to her feet and followed Randy along with their four other team mates into the yard. Pearson was there waiting for them with a grin on his face. Beth and Randy's plan to stay under the radar had failed slightly. They had not realised just how unfit and untrained these young soldiers were. Forced to push on by the various sergeants around the course, Randy and Beth had brought their team home first and were once again the focus of the Captains attention.

"Well done, your team will be receiving extra rations tonight." He said looking first to Randy and then at Beth. Both of them tensed under the man's scrutiny, but as the gates opened in front of them their tension grew to a new level.

Pearson stepped out of the way as Shane entered the yard and looked along the line of his newest recruits. His eyes fell upon two familiar figures and he stopped. For a moment silence fell across the yard before all hell broke loose.

Well what were you expecting lol. Hope you enjoyed that, don't forget to let me know and keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment. Thank you for readingXxX


	23. False idenity

Ok update time, sorry for the wait, but my laptop is sick, I am borrowing my parents computer.

Chapter 23: False identity

Beth looked from Randy to Shane, her eyes big and her heart thumping inside her chest. Ducking her head down she pulled the cap further over her eyes to cover her face but the damaged it seemed had already been done.

"What on earth are those two doing here!" Shane shouted as he made his way across the yard and straight towards Randy. He had spotted the pair the moment he had walked in and he knew that they were not on his list of new intake.

"They are serving here sir." Pearson said as Shane turned to his Captain and gave him a shake of the head.

"No they aren't you dam fool, check your list, you find Randy Orton or Beth Phoenix on it and I will eat my hat." Shane said now standing directly in front of the pair. Beth had now lifted her head, there was no point trying to hide any more, the game was well and truly up.

"Arrest them and take them down to the others." Shane ordered as two of the guards came over and restrained them. Randy was not about to put up an argument, they were surrounded by guards and had nowhere to run. Getting out of this situation in tacked was his main priority. As they took hold of his arms Randy looked over at Beth who was also going quietly. Her eyes held a look of sheer distain, but for now at least she was keeping her council.

Beth and Randy were stopped at the entrance to the main building, Shane's voice echoing across the yard as he spoke to them. Randy felt his fists clench at the sound of the man's voice, the way the words rolled from his lips like they had never all been friends.

"I will find out why you were here, mark my words this is not something I will be sweeping under the carpet." As Shane's little bully speech ended Randy felt himself shoved through the doorway in front of him. This time they were not lead quietly down a well lit corridor. They were pulled through another doorway, leading down a stone tunnel. The air felt damp and musty inside, the cries of children were now reverberating off those cold damp walls, and increasing in volume. Beth felt the urge to wrap her arms around herself and huddle down in a dark corner.

The lights that illuminated the tunnel seemed to be getting fewer, the dark paces between them becoming more apparent the deeper they went. It was now becoming obvious that they were not being taken to the work camp but somewhere far different. Randy looked across at Beth as the tunnel they were in started to descend, first gradually, then steeper until steps started appearing, long and wide at first then narrowing into a choke point before the ground levelled off again. Randy had no idea how far they had walked, but he was guessing that if they were under the facility they were well under it. They had probably gone almost half a mile in both directions, and it was now bone chillingly cold. Finally the tunnel seemed to end and open out. What awaited them however was far worse than the dank dark tunnel that had seemed so oppressive, now pale in comparison to what lay before them.

Mickie and John were making their way back to the car, they had purchased all they needed to pass themselves off as plumbers and electricians. It had been easy, in nice clothes with their new ID's and money in their pocket, people had just assumed they were just another hard working couple.

Mickie had smiled at John when one shop keeper had asked them how business had been. John had replied with a cryptic "Its about to pick up." To which the inquisitive man had just raised his eyebrows and carried on processing their order.

Now almost running through the cold streets the pair were carrying some pretty heavy equipment. All that was missing from their kit was explosives. Not only was it impossible to purchase such items, but if they got caught taking them into the camp, the jig would be well and truly up.

Getting to the car Mickie hauled open the boot and they placed all their equipment inside.

"Man am I glad to be putting that down." John said as he shook his arm that had been carrying the heavy tool box. Mickie gave him a half grin before closing the boot and pulling the keys from her pocket.

"I'll drive." She said as John gave her a raised eyebrow but said nothing. Climbing into the passenger seat it was as Mickie started up the engine John realised.

"Hey we have no idea where we are going." He said as Mickie pulled out of the dirt park they had left the truck in and on to the street.

"Yeah well it can't be that hard to find, I mean Beth and Randy obviously managed it, can't be that hard to find. I mean a whacking great base in the middle of a city." Mickie said glancing to the side as she turned the truck and headed for the outer city limits.

"Well its probably not actually in the city, I mean where would you put something like that. Next to Wal-Mart?" Mickie continued as she saw John's mouth curl up in a half smile. It was good to see him smile again, they had not done that enough recently. Hell Mickie thought they had hardly done any in two years. Now as she picked up speed along the deserted streets they spotted a sign for the Salt Lake City centre. Without a word Mickie turned the truck, heading now for what looked like farm land, the base was there before them. It loomed up out of the landscape like some gruesome prison from old films about the war. A high fence surrounded it, topped with barbed wire and patrolled by what looked like pairs of guards.

"Maybe we should pass on by, give ourselves time to think about this." Mickie said slowing the truck but not really stopping. John's hand on her shoulder made her jump and she pressed her foot to the break.

"Dam it John I could have had an accident then." She said not really angry with John but the tension in the car was almost palpable now.

"I know and I am sorry, but said it yourself, Randy and Beth probably don't have much time. We need to do this Mickie. Won't make any difference how long we wait, either the ID's will work or they wont." John said offering Mickie a soft smile as she turned towards the open road and looked at the gathering clouds and hoped that more snow wasn't on the way.

"Ok lets do it." She said pulling the truck around, using the entire width of the road she swung the large vehicle a hundred and eighty degrees. There was no need to worry about someone coming along and hitting them. This highway was as deserted as all the rest. For a moment before Mickie pulled the truck forward once more she considered the world. How empty it was now, not just physically, but also the lack of any real joy. Survival was the best outcome for any one, it was time that changed. As Mickie stamped her foot down on the gas peddle she saw Jon grip on to the door handle and she suppressed a smile. He was right about one thing, if they were going to do this then they were going to do it all the way.

Pulling up alongside the main gates they saw a single solider sat inside the small hut. He was too busy reading a paper to have noticed their arrival. Mickie felt like sitting on the horn, but restrain herself from creating a scene.

"Do you think we should get out?" Mickie said before a tap at the window had her heat leaping into her throat for the second time that day.

Rolling down the window Mickie meant out and looked down at the young soldier.

"State your business." He said not looking to pleased by the interruption and Mickie quickly got out their ID's.

"Come to fix this old building up for you." She said handing the soldiers her ID and giving him a large gin. The man simply looked at her, and then over at John who gave him a small wave. This was it, John knew if they didn't make it passed the front gates they were in trouble.

"I'll let the boss man know you're coming, we have already had a pair of infiltrators today. He will want to check you out." The young soldier said getting down from the cab and making his way back into his hut. Mickie and John looked at one another. Knowing that the infiltrators the guard had referred to were almost certainly Beth and Randy.

"Drive in, Captain Pearson will be waiting for you in the yard." The man said as Mickie gave him a small nod and drove the truck under the wire of the gates and into the camp.

Randy wanted to hold on to something as the smell hit him first. It was the unmistakable stench of death. He felt Beth's hand find his in the half darkness of the round room they had entered. It was the first time she had touched him since the forest, and Randy noticed that her hand was ice cold. Before he had chance to say anything the soldiers that lead them here spoke.

"Get in." It was accompanied by a shove from behind and Randy staggered into the tiny cage in front of him. To his dismay Beth was held back, she was then pushed into the cage next to him. No longer being able to see one another the fear that rose in both their stomachs was bring bile to their throats.

"Don't worry I'm sure someone will come along to feed you. Eventually." One of the guards said and the sick smirk on his face was almost lost in the darkness. Almost. Randy could see enough of it to tell him this might just be it.

As the guards retreated Randy realised that it had in fact got darker, now only a dim orange glow seemed to be coming for a single lamp high up on the far wall. He looked back into his cell. It was nothing but blank brick with a stone flaw. The sounds coming from the corner suggested he was not the only thing in here. In the shadows however he could not tell exactly what his companion was. He was sure that the creature whatever it was, was far more likely to be at home here in the dark wet and cold. It could also probably leave when it wanted to. As Randy placed his hands on the bars now and gave them a rattle he could tell they weren't about to break easily, if at all.

"Don't Randy." Beth's voice came from only a few feet away, but Randy had never felt so far from her.

"What do you mean don't?" Randy asked hoping that Beth wasn't breaking now, he didn't know if he could do this alone. Not down here, not surrounded by these walls, by the ever present sent of death.

"Don't waste your energy trying to escape, we aren't going anywhere." Beth said as Randy herd her expel a long breath. He could just imagine her sitting on the cold hard floor, her back propped up against the wall.

"Well we don't know that Mickie and John could be coming to our rescue any minute now." Randy said with as much hope as he could muster as he heard Beth short puff of air as she blew it through her cheeks.

"Are you sure they will find us down here Randy, because from the smell of it, the former occupants weren't so lucky." Beth said feeling the icy fingers of dread creep up her spine as she slid down the wall and rested on the cold ground below. Beth didn't want to be negative, but she knew the reason they had been put down her.

It was a deniable truth about this entire place, that everyone in it, and everything that it stood for had just been forgotten. Swept away like yesterdays rubbish. Now as the cold seeped into her bones Beth wondered if they were about to be forgotten, remembered only by two people who were likely to get themselves killed trying to rescue them.

Beth took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, it made little difference to what she could see, but the action itself made her feel like she was giving up. For the first time she regretted not to have told Randy how she felt about him. To do it now seemed somehow selfish. Unable to touch him, or even look him in the eyes the gesture also seemed somehow shallow. Wrapping her arms around her shins Beth opened her eyes again and looked down the dark tunnel that had lead them here. The feeling of fear came back. To die here was bad enough, but to actually have to live like this would be far worse. Beth could here Randy moving around in the cell next door, but she had no words of encouragement to share with him. Keeping silent seemed like the best option right now, Beth only wished that whatever was scrabbling around in her cell would go away soon. She didn't like rats and right now she appeared to be trapped with one, and suddenly a thought crossed her mind. Something she wouldn't have even considered. Not even when they had been living on the streets and half starving. Beth wondered if she could eat raw rat.

Ok I know it is kind of short but I promise as soon as I have my computer back I will make it up to you.

Thank you for reading XxX


	24. Adjudication

Ok one fixed lap top and here is the next chapter, thank you for your patients and continued support for this story.

As Mickie and John pulled into the compound a couple of guards walked over to them. They had their jackets pulled up around their faces. Their gloved hands clutching at their guns which they held now at waist height. Mickie's eyes were drawn to the guns now, black and long, a military riffle, something that could do a lot of damage over a pretty large distance. She shivered at the thought for a moment. Knowing that if this didn't work, she and John would have to prey, neither of the soldiers were a very good shot.

"Morning, we have come to take a look at your heating." John said not a hint of a shaKe in his voice. Even John was surprised at the effortless way he lied to these men. His hands were clutched on the steering wheel to stop them shaking, and his right foot seemed to have a mind of its own. Bouncing on the carpet next to the gas peddle as he let the truck idol in park.

"Thank god for that, its like a meat locker in their at the moment." one of the men said as John handed him his ID and the soldier took it, examining it, then turning his eyes up to get a closer look at John. John offered him a small smile, one he hoped looked sincere and the soldiers return smile told John it had at least been good enough.

"And your ID ma'am?" the soldier questioned looking passed John and at Mickie who had not spoken a word since the soldiers approach.

Mickie picked her ID up from the dash board and handed it over quickly. Not completely trusting her voice, she quickly smiled at the solider and he handed it back and gave her a nod.

"Drive on through the yard to the rear, you can park your truck there and someone will meet you at the door." The soldier said, standing back from the truck and pointing to where John should go.

John gave the man another nod, putting the truck into drive he pulled forward slowly and manoeuvred around the front of the building. Driving the length of the camp Mickie and John watched as they went past rows upon rows of buildings. Windows lining the sides were bared up, an obvious and timely reminder that this was no holiday camp. Mickie pressed her nose up to the window as John slowed down so they could examine the centres structure. on the plus side, it appear to be all one building. Bigger buildings interlinked with narrower corridors. But it was vast, they had been moving for almost two minutes and had still not reached the rear of the camp. Now as the corner of the building came into view Mickie sat back in her chair. Letting out a small sigh she looked quickly over her shoulder at the tool box. It sat their unassuming in the winter sunshine as John pulled the car left and into a car park, sparsely filled with cars and truck. All of which were military issue save one. A lone Cadillac stood empty near the rear door, its dark black paint, obviously quite new compared to the rest of the cars shone in the sunlight. John pointed to it and Mickie turned her head as they drove passed it and parked a few spaces beyond.

"You think that might be the bosses?" John asked as he stopped the truck and turned off the engine. He looked at Mickie as she opened her door and climbed out. The cold wind hitting her in the face almost immediately. Wrapping her coat more tightly around her she stepped around to the boot of the car where John had already opened it.

"I would say that's a likely bet." Mickie said glancing at the Cadillac once more, before helping John get out all they needed from the truck.

"You know what is a safe bet though." Mickie said as John pox, and pulled out the heavy tool box, and handed Mickie the lighter travel kit.

"No what?" John said placing the tool box on the floor and closing the boot of the truck, locking it he picked up the heavy box again and indicated to Mickie that they should get going.

"We are going to need some serious amount of explosives if we are going to take this place down."

As Randy sat in the dark silence he wondered if Beth had in fact fallen asleep. He had not heard a peep out of here since they had been thrown in here, and she had told him not to bother struggling to break free. He had been listening for any sounds coming from her cell, but he could here nothing. All the straining to here had however alerted him to the fact that he could here dripping water. Wondering if they were close to a river or a stream, Randy had wondered if they could use this some how to their advantage. All the wondering however did nothing to change the fact that they were both locked up tighter than a drum below probably a mile of rock. Until they could rectify that situation it wouldn't matter if their was a car sat five feet from them with the engine running.

"So much for our glorious plans." Randy muttered to himself as he sat back down on the cold hard floor. A snort came from what only could have been Beth and Randy was at least grateful that she was still with him.

"It was never really a plan though, more a notion for heroism. Was it selfish on our part Randy to think we could pull this off alone, or was it just simply foolery?" Beth asked her tone was dark, but Randy couldn't deny the truth in her words. The notion of saving these people, getting the world to stand up and take notice of what had happened to their once great country, was in principal a noble idea. Maybe if they had gotten together some kind of army. Had made a better plan of attack, and had come armed to the teeth, then perhaps they might have pulled this off.

"I think simple pride may have been what let us down, we used to be able to do anything once, stand up for what we believed in and be heard. Now those days are long gone, and trying to recapture them at other peoples expense was wrong." Randy said feeling the sombre mood of his cell companion leak in to his own conscientiousness.

"Umm tell that to people like Martin Luther King, or even Susan Anthony, they had a radical idea to free people from oppression, and it worked. They changed the world in a time when their voice counted for nothing." Beth said standing up and clutching hold of the bars and trying to peer into the darkness beyond her cage.

"Yeah and look what happened to them." Randy replied knowing that Beth had moved closer to him. He could now here her subtle breathing as he sat with his back to the wall and lent his head back. Taking in a deep breath of air Randy let it out slowly as his words sunk in to Beth and the blonde held her silence.

Mickie and John were escorted though the building by a lone solider. He was not exactly a run of the mill young gun however. This guy was easily a match for John, and better fed and now at least more muscular. He had a hard round face, and a pair of dark brown eyes. His skin was the same shade as his dark eyes and he had not said a word t them since he order them to follow him at the door.

Mickie and John had looked at one another a few times at the many doors they passed on their way to god knows where. They had not seen a single prisoner yet, but the sound of machinery buzzing almost constantly in the distance led them both to believe they were not far away. Probably slaving away on out of date and dangerous equipment. Making money only for those who didn't really need it in the first place.

Finally they stopped and the dark solider pointed to a door. Mickie followed his finger with her eyes until they rested on a door marked maintenance.

"You will find all you need in their, any work rooms are strictly off limits unless you are accompanied by a soldier, and all tools must be kept out of reach of any of the inmates." as the guard spoke Mickie could help but feel a shiver run up her spine. The way this man spoke, without feeling, or any suggestion of humanity made Mickie wonder how they had all gotten to this point. When they had come so far. Now once again they had been throw back into the dark ages. One group of people using another for profit and gain.

John spoke to the guard briefly telling him that they would abide by the rules and then they were left alone. As he looked at Mickie a soft caring smile appeared on his face and she returned to gesture in kind. Mickie placed her hand on his arm and rubbed it gently. Memories of that morning in the house simply lying in bed together came back. The memory swirling in her mind, like a happy anchor to keep her sane. As John looked down at Mickie he could see the conflicting emotions play across her face. The feeling of her hand caressing his bicep was both familiar and welcome in this bleak place.

"Promise me John, promise me one day we will go back to that house." Mickie said before she picked up the small travel tool kit again and placed her hand on the door nob in front of her.

"I promise, all is lost Mickie, there are still some good people out there." John said as he followed her into what was not much more than a large closet with a couple of chairs in it. Mickie set the tool kit down and John opened up the bigger box to get out the things they would need. Mickie realised that the human race had not been making leaps forward in equality and of liberty. They had in fact been going in a huge circle, and now with lack of food, money and creature comforts, they had found themselves all the way back at the beginning.

The silence reined in the cell where Randy and Beth were sitting, both lost in their own thoughts until the distinct sound of foot steps could be heard echoing along the hallways. Both people lock inside their own cells sat up simultaneously. Coming to the front of their cages and looking out along the darkened tunnel before them. Only a few moments later they could see the lights start to illuminate the tunnel where whomever it was coming towards them. Randy wanted to say something comforting to Beth, something like everything would be ok, and not to worry, but the words just didn't seem to come Randy knew it was because it simply wasn't the truth, everything was not likely to be ok, and telling someone not to worry, especially when that someone was Beth was more likely to anger her.

All too soon the people that had been making their way down the tunnel appeared, Randy immediately recognised Captain Pearson leading two other soldiers towards them. He stopped outside their cell looking in with eyes that were impossible to read. Randy could almost feel sorry for him. It was obvious he didn't want to be here, before Shane had recognised them, Randy had felt genuine admiration coming from the Captain. Now he was their jaliour, willing or otherwise and Randy could tell, none of them were going to enjoy this.

"You have been caught trying to infiltrate this facility through copious means." The Capitan started his voice rose slightly as he spoke like he was gaining confidence about what he had to do as he spoke. Like some kind of verbal justification for what he was about to do.

"We have also found Thomson the forest, I am sure with further investigation we will also find Yeomens. For their murder you have been sentenced to life imprisonment, do you have anything to say for yourselves?" Pearson asked as Randy and Beth just looked at him in silence. Both of them sure that they were about to be executed.

"I will take your silence as a no, remember you are now the property of the Salt Lake City centre and believe me this is far from over. What you have suffered so far is nothing compared to what is to come." Pearson said obviously now not worried about what he may have thought about the pair standing before him now. They were murderers and terrorist plane and simply, and he and his men had a free rein over what happened to them.

Beth and Randy had known this was coming, it being said by the Captain was not a shock, now all they could do was stand their and look back at the men who held their lives in their hands.

That's all for now folk's, as ever please let me know what you thought and I promise more regular updates from now on. Thank you for reading XxX


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